126
In Calamba, Laguna 19 June 1861 JOSE RIZAL, the seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso y Quintos, was born in Calamba, Laguna. 22 June 1861 He was baptized JOSE RIZAL MERCADO at the Catholic of Calamba by the parish priest Rev. Rufino Collantes with Rev. Pedro Casañas as the sponsor. 28 September 1862 The parochial church of Calamba and the canonical books, including the book in which Rizal’s baptismal records were entered, were burned. 1864 Barely three years old, Rizal learned the alphabet from his mother. 1865 When he was four years old, his sister Conception, the eight child in the Rizal family, died at the age of three. It was on this occasion that Rizal remembered having shed real tears for the first time. 1865 – 1867 During this time his mother taught him how to read and write. His father hired a classmate by the name of Leon Monroy who, for five months until his (Monroy) death, taught Rizal the rudiments of Latin. At about this time two of his mother’s cousin frequented Calamba. Uncle Manuel Alberto, seeing Rizal frail in body, concerned himself with the physical development of his young nephew and taught the latter love for the open air and developed

jose rizal

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

In Calamba, Laguna

19 June 1861JOSE RIZAL, the seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso y Quintos, was born in Calamba, Laguna.

22 June 1861He was baptized JOSE RIZAL MERCADO at the Catholic of Calamba by the parish priest Rev. Rufino Collantes with Rev. Pedro Casañas as the sponsor.

28 September 1862The parochial church of Calamba and the canonical books, including the book in which Rizal’s baptismal records were entered, were burned.

1864Barely three years old, Rizal learned the alphabet from his mother.

1865When he was four years old, his sister Conception, the eight child in the Rizal family, died at the age of three. It was on this occasion that Rizal remembered having shed real tears for the first time.

1865 – 1867During this time his mother taught him how to read and write. His father hired a classmate by the name of Leon Monroy who, for five months until his (Monroy) death, taught Rizal the rudiments of Latin.

At about this time two of his mother’s cousin frequented Calamba. Uncle Manuel Alberto, seeing Rizal frail in body, concerned himself with the physical development of his young nephew and taught the latter love for the open air and developed in him a great admiration for the beauty of nature, while Uncle Gregorio, a scholar, instilled into the mind of the boy love for education. He advised Rizal: "Work hard and perform every task very carefully; learn to be swift as well as thorough; be independent in thinking and make visual pictures of everything."

6 June 1868 With his father, Rizal made a pilgrimage to Antipolo to fulfill the vow made by his mother to take the child to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo should she and her child survive the ordeal of delivery which nearly caused his mother’s life.

From there they proceeded to Manila and visited his sister Saturnina who was at the time studying in the La Concordia College in Sta. Ana.

1869

At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem entitled "Sa Aking Mga Kabata." The poem was written in tagalog and had for its theme "Love of One’s Language."

| This site is maintained by Jose Rizal University 

 

Bookmark us: Press (CTRL+D)

Jose Rizal: A Biographical SketchBY TEOFILO H. MONTEMAYOR

JOSE RIZAL, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race, was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child in a family of 11 children (2 boys and 9 girls). Both his parents were educated and belonged to distinguished families.

His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, an industrious farmer whom Rizal called "a model of fathers," came from Biñan, Laguna; while his mother, Teodora Alonzo y Quintos, a highly cultured and accomplished woman whom Rizal called "loving and prudent mother," was born in Meisic, Sta. Cruz, Manila. At the age of 3, he learned the alphabet from his mother; at 5, while learning to read and write, he already showed inclinations to be an artist. He astounded his family and relatives by his pencil drawings and sketches and by his moldings of clay. At the age 8, he wrote a Tagalog poem, "Sa Aking Mga Kabata," the theme of which revolves on the love of one’s language. In 1877, at the age of 16, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with an average of "excellent" from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. In the same year, he enrolled in Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas, while at the same time took courses leading to the degree of surveyor and expert assessor at the Ateneo. He finished the latter course on March 21, 1877 and passed the Surveyor’s examination on May 21, 1878; but because of his age, 17, he was not granted license to practice the profession until December 30, 1881. In 1878, he enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but had to stop in his studies when he felt that the Filipino students were being discriminated upon by their Dominican tutors. On May 3, 1882, he sailed for Spain where he continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid. On June 21, 1884, at the age of 23, he was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine and on June 19,1885, at the age of 24, he finished his course in Philosophy and Letters with a grade of "excellent." 

Having traveled extensively in Europe, America and Asia, he mastered 22 languages. These

include Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Malayan, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other native dialects. A versatile genius, he was an architect, artists, businessman, cartoonist, educator, economist, ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian, inventor, journalist, linguist, musician, mythologist, nationalist, naturalist, novelist, opthalmic surgeon, poet, propagandist, psychologist, scientist, sculptor, sociologist, and theologian.

He was an expert swordsman and a good shot. In the hope of securing political and social reforms for his country and at the same time educate his countrymen, Rizal, the greatest apostle of Filipino nationalism, published, while in Europe, several works with highly nationalistic and revolutionary tendencies. In March 1887, his daring book, NOLI ME TANGERE, a satirical novel exposing the arrogance and despotism of the Spanish clergy, was published in Berlin; in 1890 he reprinted in Paris, Morga’s SUCCESSOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS with his annotations to prove that the Filipinos had a civilization worthy to be proud of even long before the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil; on September 18, 1891, EL FILIBUSTERISMO, his second novel and a sequel to the NOLI and more revolutionary and tragic than the latter, was printed in Ghent. Because of his fearless exposures of the injustices committed by the civil and clerical officials, Rizal provoked the animosity of those in power. This led himself, his relatives and countrymen into trouble with the Spanish officials of the country. As a consequence, he and those who had contacts with him, were shadowed; the authorities were not only finding faults but even fabricating charges to pin him down. Thus, he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago from July 6, 1892 to July 15, 1892 on a charge that anti-friar pamphlets were found in the luggage of his sister Lucia who arrive with him from Hong Kong. While a political exile in Dapitan, he engaged in agriculture, fishing and business; he maintained and operated a hospital; he conducted classes- taught his pupils the English and Spanish languages, the arts.

The sciences, vocational courses including agriculture, surveying, sculpturing, and painting, as well as the art of self defense; he did some researches and collected specimens; he entered into correspondence with renowned men of letters and sciences abroad; and with the help of his pupils, he constructed water dam and a relief map of Mindanao - both considered remarkable engineering feats. His sincerity and friendliness won for him the trust and confidence of even those assigned to guard him; his good manners and warm personality were found irresistible by women of all races with whom he had personal contacts; his intelligence and humility gained for him the respect and admiration of prominent men of other nations; while his undaunted courage and determination to uplift the welfare of his people were feared by his enemies.

When the Philippine Revolution started on August 26, 1896, his enemies lost no time in pressing him down. They were able to enlist witnesses that linked him with the revolt and these were never allowed to be confronted by him. Thus, from November 3, 1986, to the date of his execution, he was again committed to Fort Santiago. In his prison cell, he wrote an untitled poem, now known as "Ultimo Adios" which is considered a masterpiece and a living document expressing not only the hero’s great love of country but also that of all Filipinos. After a mock trial, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association. In the cold morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had been packed with varied activities which proved that the Filipino has capacity to equal if not excel even those who

treat him as a slave, was shot at Bagumbayan Field. 

The Mercado - Rizal Family

The Rizals is considered one of the biggest families during their time. Domingo Lam-co, the family's paternal ascendant was a full-blooded Chinese who came to the Philippines from Amoy, China in the closing years of the 17th century and married a Chinese half-breed by the name of Ines de la Rosa.

Researchers revealed that the Mercado-Rizal family had also traces of Japanese, Spanish, Malay and Even Negrito blood aside from Chinese.

Jose Rizal came from a 13-member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado II and Teodora Alonso Realonda, and nine sisters and one brother.

FRANCISCO MERCADO (1818-1898)Father of Jose Rizal who was the youngest of 13 offsprings of Juan and Cirila Mercado. Born in Biñan, Laguna on April 18, 1818; studied in San Jose College, Manila; and died in Manila.

TEODORA ALONSO (1827-1913)Mother of Jose Rizal who was the second child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brijida de Quintos. She studied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa. She was a business-minded woman, courteous, religious, hard-working and well-read. She was born in Santa Cruz, Manila on November 14, 1827 and died in 1913 in Manila.

SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913)Eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo marriage. Married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas.

PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930)Only brother of Jose Rizal and the second child. Studied at San Jose College in Manila; became a farmer and later a general of the Philippine Revolution.

NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939) The third child. married Antonio Lopez at Morong, Rizal; a teacher and musician.

OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887)The fourth child. Married Silvestre Ubaldo; died in 1887 from childbirth.

LUCIA RIZAL (1857-1919)The fifth child. Married Matriano Herbosa.

MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945)The sixth child. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna.

JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896)The second son and the seventh child. He was executed by the Spaniards on December 30,1896.

CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865)The eight child. Died at the age of three.

JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945)The ninth child. An epileptic, died a spinster.

TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951)The tenth child. Died a spinster and the last of the family to die.

SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929)The youngest child married Pantaleon Quintero.

 

| This site is maintained by Jose Rizal University 

 

Bookmark us: Press (CTRL+D)

The Many-Sided Personality

Filipinos and foreigners alike have paid tribute to Jose Rizal claiming that his place of honor in history is secure. It was his Austrian bosom friend, Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt, rector of the Imperial Atheneum of Leitmeritz, who said "Rizal was the greatest product of the Philippines and his coming to the world was like the appearance of a rare comet, whose rare brilliance appears only every other century." Another German friend, Dr. Adolf B. Meyer, director of the Dresden Museum who admired his all around knowledge and ability, remarked "Rizal’s many-sidedness was stupendous." Our own Dr. Camilo Osias pointed to him as the "versatile genius."

His precocity since early boyhood turned into versatility in later years. Being curious and inquisitive, he developed a rare facility of mastering varied subjects and occupations.

ActorRizal acted as a character in one of Juan Luna’s paintings and acted in school dramas.

AgriculturistRizal had farms in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte (1892-1896) where he planted lanzones, coconuts and other fruit-bearing trees.

Ambassador Of Good WillHis friendliness, goodwill and cultural associations with friends entitled him as one.

Animal LoverAs a small boy, Rizal loved animals including birds, fish, insects, and other specimens of animal life. Fowls, rabbits, dogs, horses, and cats constituted his favorites. As much as possible, he did not wish fowls to be killed even for food, and showed displeasure in being asked to eat the cooked animal. The family garden in Calamba abounded with insects galore and birds native to the Calamba environs. He wrote about and sketched animals of the places he had toured.

AnthropologistHe made researches on the physical and social make up of man.

ArcheologistRizal studied monuments and antique currency everywhere he went. He drew most of the monuments he saw.

AsceticRizal always practiced self-discipline wherever he went.

Book loverHe had a big library and brought many books abroad.

BotanistRizal maintained a garden in Dapitan where he planted and experimented on plants of all kinds

BusinessmanHe had a partner in Dapitan in the Abaca business there (1892-1896).

CartographerHe drew maps of Dapitan, The Philippines and other places he visited.

Chess PlayerHe played chess and bear several Germans and European friends and acquaintances.

Citizen of the worldHis extensive travels and multitude of friends in Europe, Middle East and Asia made him one.

CommentatorRizal always expresses and published his personal opinion.

ConchologistHe had a good shell collection in Dapitan. An American conchologist praised him.

EducatorRizal taught in his special school in Dapitan.

EthnologistIn his travels, Rizal was able to compare different races and he noted the differences.

Father of community schoolHe proposed college in Hong Kong and his special school in Dapitan made him a father of community schools.

FencerHe fenced with Europeans and Juan Luna and other friends in Europe.

Freemason abroadHe was member of La Solidaridad Lodge in Spain.

Horticulture and farmerHe experimented on and cultivated plants in Dapitan.

HistorianHis annotation of Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas entitled him as one.

HumoristThere are many humorous incidents in the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

IchthyologistHe collected 38 new varieties of fish in Dapitan.

JapanophileHis admiration of Japanese traits and his knowledge of her language proved he was one.

JournalistHe authored the published many articles in Spanish and English and London.

Laboratory workerHe was employed in the clinic of Dr. L. Wecker in Paris.

LinguistHe spoke over 20 foreign languages.

Lover of truthHe chided Spanish writers for not writing the truth about the Filipinos. He was always truthful since boyhood.

MusiciansHe played the flute and composed pieces of music and cultivated music appreciation.

MythologistRizal used mythology in his Noli and Fili.

NationalistHe gave full expression of the native spirit strengthened by world civilization and loved and defended everything Filipino.

NewspapermanHe wrote and published articles in many publications and was one of the organizers of the La Solidaridad.

OphthalmologistHe graduated in an ophthalmologic college in Spain.

OrientalistRizal admired the special characteristic and beauties of Oriental countries peoples.

PharmacologistRizal treasured and popularized the usefulness and preparation of cures for treatment of his patients.

PhilologistRizal loved of learning and literature is unequalled.

PhilosopherRizal not only loved wisdom but also regulated his life and enjoyed calmness of the life at all time 

Physical culturistRizal maintained a good health by exercising all parts of his body and eating proper foods 

PhysiciansHe treated several patients afflicted not only with eye diseases.

Plant loverAs a child, Rizal spend most of his time in the family garden which was planted with fruit trees,

Shrubs and decorative trees. His diaries contained detailed description and sketches of plants, flowers and fruits he saw in the places he visited. He wrote poems on flower he like very much

as his poems To the Flowers of Heidelberg.

PoetRizal wrote over 35 poems including his famous Ultimo Adios.

PoliticianAlthough Rizal did not engage in Politics, he exposed the evils of the political activities of the Spaniards in the Philippines through his writing. 

PolyglotRizal spoke and wrote in 20 languages.

ProofreaderIn Germany, He worked as a part-time proofreader of his livelihood.

PropagandistAs a reformer, Rizal encourages the recommendation of improving the government entities and discourage abuses publishing articles.

Public relation manHe worked for better cooperation of rulers and subjects in his country.

ReformerHe published the modern methods of government administration, so changes could be made.

ResearcherBeing a wide reader, he compared the old and new practices in life.

RevolutionistRizal encouraged reforms, discouraged old, impractical usage, and desired new and useful laws to benefit his countrymen. He desired changes for the better.

RhetoricianRizal has always practiced the art of persuasive and impressive speaking and writing.

Rural reconstruction workerHe practiced rural reconstruction work in Dapitan in 1894 and succeeded.

Sanitary engineerHis construction of a water system in Dapitan exemplified this practice by Rizal.

ScientistRizal’s practice of many sciences here and abroad made him noted scientist.

SculptorHis works of his father and of Father Guerrico, S. J. typified his sculptural ability.

Sharp shooterHe could hit a target 20 meters away.

SinologistRizal’s ancestry and his ability to speak Chinese made him one.

SociologistIn Rizal’s study of Philippines social problems, he always encouraged and introduced solutions.

SodalistHe always joined fraternities, associations and brotherhood, for self-improvement.

SportsmanHe engaged from a surveying class at the Ateneo after passing his A. B. there.

TouristHe was considered the foremost tourist due to his extensive travels.

TravelerHe traveled around the world three times.

Tuberculosis expertFor having cured himself of this disease, he became and was recognized as an expert.

Youth leaderHe considered the youth as "the hope of his Fatherland."

ZoologistHe was fond of pets. He researched later on their physiology, classification and habits.

José RizalMula sa Tagalog na Wikipedia, ang malayang ensiklopedyaTumalon sa: nabigasyon, hanapin

José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda

Isang larawan ni José Rizal, Pambasang bayani ng Pilipinas.Ibang pangalan: José RizalKapanganakan: August 6, 2000Lugar ng kapanganakan: Calamba, Laguna, PilipinasKamatayan: Disyembre 30, 1896 (edad 35)

Lugar ng kamatayan: Bagumbayan (Luneta ngayon), Maynila, Pilipinas

Pangunahing organisasyon: La Solidaridad, La Liga FilipinaPangunahing monumento: Liwasang Rizal

Ito ang artikulo patungkol sa bayaning Pilipino. Para sa pelikula patungkol sa kanya, silipin ang Jose Rizal (pelikula). Para sa ibang gamit ng Rizal, silipin ang Rizal (paglilinaw).

Si Dr. José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda[1] (Ika-19 ng Hunyo 1861–Ika-30 ng Disyembre 1896) ay ang pampito sa labing-isang anak ng mag-asawang Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro at ng asawa nitong si Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda y Quintos. Ipinanganak si José Rizal sa Calamba, Laguna. Sina Saturnina, Paciano, Narcissa, Olimpia, Lucia, Maria, Jose, Concepcion, Josefa, Trinidad at Soledad ang mga anak nina Francisco at Teodora.

Ang ina ni Rizal ay siyang kaniyang unang guro at nagturo sa kaniya ng abakada noong siya ay tatlong taon pa lamang. Noong siya naman ay tumuntong ng siyam na taon, pinadala siya sa Biñan, Laguna upang mag-aral sa ilalim ng pamamatnubay ni Justiano Aquino Cruz. Ilang buwan ang nakalipas, pinayuhan niya ang magulang ni Rizal na pag-aralin siya sa Maynila.

Ang Ateneo Municipal de Manila ang unang paaralan sa Maynila na kaniyang pinasukan noong ikadalawa ng Enero 1872.Sa kaniyang pananatili sa paaralang ito, natanggap niya ang lahat ng mga pangunahing medalya at notang sobresaliente sa lahat ng aklat. Sa paaralan ding ito niya natanggap ang kaniyang Batsilyer sa Sining na may notang sobresalyente kalakip ang pinakamataas na karangalan.

Nang sumunod na taon, siya ay kumuha ng Pilosopiya at Panitikan sa Unibersidad ng Santo Tomas. Sa Ateneo, kasabay niyang kinuha ang agham ng Pagsasaka. Pagkaraan, kinuha niya ang kursong panggagamot sa nasabing Pamantasan (Santo Tomas) pagkatapos mabatid na ang

kaniyang ina ay tinubuan ng katarata. Noong ika-5 ng 1882, nang dahil sa hindi na niya matanggap ang tagibang at mapansuring pakikitungo ng mga paring Kastila sa mga katutubong mag-aaral, nagtungo siya sa Espanya. Doo'y pumasok siya sa Universidad Central de Madrid, kung saan, sa ikalawang taon ay natapos niya ang karerang Medisina, bilang "sobresaliente" (napakahusay). Nang sumunod na taon, nakamit niya ang titulo sa Pilosopiya-at-Titik. Naglakbay siya sa Pransya at nagpakadalubhasa sa paggamot ng sakit sa mata sa isang klinika roon. Pagkatapos ay tumungo siya sa Heidelberg, Alemanya, kung saan natamo pa ang isang titulo.

Sa taon din ng kaniyang pagtatapos ng Medisina, siya ay nag-aral ng wikang Ingles, bilang karagdagan sa mga wikang kaniya nang nalalaman gaya ng Pranses. Isang dalubwika si Rizal na nakaaalam ng Arabe, Katalan, Tsino, Inggles, Pranses, Aleman, Griyego, Ebreo, Italyano, Hapon, Latin, Portuges, Ruso, Sanskrit, Espanyol, Tagalog, at iba pang mga katutubong wika ng Pilipinas.

Mga nilalaman[itago]

1 Edukasyon ni Rizal 2 Mga Akda 3 Buhay Pag-ibig 4 Mga Pamanang-lahi 5 Pagbitay, Kamatayan at Pagka-martir 6 Ugnay panlabas

[baguhin] Edukasyon ni RizalNoong August 6 1997 si Rizal ay pumunta ng lucban para magkindergarten sa PEL-1. Muntikan na siyang hindi marehistro dahil hindi siya pinayagan ng tiga-rehistro na si Fr. Magin Ferrando dahil siya ay huli na sa pasukan ngunit tinulungan siya ng pamangkin ni Fr. Burgos na si Manuel Xeres Burgos at siya ay narehistro din. Siya ay nakatira sa labas ng eskwelahan ang kanyang kasera ay si Donya Titay. Sa eskwelahan ng Ateneo ay ginugrupo ang mga mag-aaral ng dalawang parte ang Roman Empire (inside border)at Carthaginian Empire(outside border), siya ay sakup sa Carthaginian dahil sa labas siya ng eskwelahan nakatira. Sa isang grupo ay may mga opisyal Emperor(best student),Tribune,Decurion,Centurion at Standard. Ang una niyang magtutudlo ay si Jose Bech ,naging Emperor si Rizal dahil siya ay nanalo sa isang timpalak at nakakuha siya ng isang religious picture para sa kanyang gantimpala. Nag-aral din siya sa Kolehiyo ng Santa Isabel para pagbutihin ang kanyang Wikang Kastila.

[baguhin] Mga Akda

Mga Nobela ni Jose

Rizal

Noli Me Tangere

El filibusterismo

Makamisa

Si Rizal ay nakilala sa dalawang nobelang kaniyang isinulat, ang Noli me tangere (Huwag Mo Akong Salingin) na nilimbag sa Berlin, Alemanya (1886), sa tulong ni Dr. Maximo Viola. At nilathala ang El Filibusterismo (Mga Pagbalakid o Pangungulimbat) sa Gante, Belgica (1891); pinahiram siya ni Dr. Maximo Viola ng 300 piso sa pagpapalimbag ng Noli Me Tangere. Naglalaman ang mga ito ng mga paglalarawan at pagpuna sa mga nagaganap na pangyayari sa lipunang Pilipino ng mga panahong iyon. Ang mga aklat na ito ay halaw at hango sa Don Quixote ni Miguel Cervantes, manunulat na Espanyol. Ang mga ito ang naging daan upang magising ang pagkakaisang-diwa at katauhan ng mga Pilipino, na nauwi sa Rebolusyon ng 1896.

Noong siya'y walong taong gulang pa, naisulat niya ang tulang Sa aking mga Kabata na naging Sa Aking mga Kababata. Tumutukoy ang tulang ito sa pagmamahal sa bayan dahil bata pa lang siya ay nakitaan na siya ng pagiging nasyonalismo. Nang malapit na siyang bitayin, sinulat niya Mi Ultimo Adios (Huling Pamamaalam). Kabilang sa iba niyang naisulat ay ang Awit ni Maria Clara, Pinatutula Ako, Ang Ligpit Kong Tahanan atbp.

Dagdag dito, si Rizal din ang masugid na taga-ambag ng mga sulatin sa La Solidaridad, isang pahayagang inilunsad ng mga Pilipinong repormista sa Espanya. Sumulat siya sa ilalim ng pangalang Dimasalang at Laong-laan, habang lumagda naman si Marcelo Del Pilar bilang Plaridel.

[baguhin] Buhay Pag-ibigSi Segunda Katigbak ang unang pag-ibig ni Rizal. Si Segunda ay labing-apat na taon palang noon at ang kapatid ng kaklase niyang si Mariano. Dahil sa paghanga ni Rizal kay Segunda, ginawan niya ito ng isang larawan ginuhit ng lapis. Ipinalit ni Segunda para dito ay isang puting

rosas. Mag-aalok na sana si Rizal kay Segunda ng kasal ngunit ito ay nobyo na ni Manuel Luz. Noon nag-aaral na siya sa UST(Unibersidad ng Santo Tomas) doon niya nakilala si Miss L (hindi binanggit ang totoong pangalan) ngunit ang kanyang pag-ibig kay Miss L ay hindi natuloy dahil sa dalawang rason una ang mga magagandang ala-ala ni Segunda ay hindi pa nawawala, pangalawa ay hindi gusto ng kanyang ama ang pamilya ni Miss L(hindi binaggit kung bakit).Sumunod kay Miss L ay si Leonor Valenzuela at si Leonor Rivera. Si Leonor Rivera ay ang kanyang unang totoong pag-ibig, hindi niya alam na ito pala ay malayong pinsan niya lang.Ang sunod niyang nakilala ay si Vicenta Ybardaloza, naantig niya ang puso ni Rizal dahil sa pagiging mahusay maglaro ng instrumentong harp at ang kanyang pinakasalan ay si Josephine Bracken. Nagkakilala sila nang pinatapon si Rizal sa Dapitan. Siya din ang kanyang huling kasama nang barilin siya sa Bagumbayan.

[baguhin] Mga Pamanang-lahiSi Jose Rizal ay isang repormista para sa isang lipunang malaya at hindi isang rebolusyonaryong naghahangad ng kasarinlan. Bilang puno ng Kilusan ng Pagbabago ng Pilipinas na itinatag ng mga Pilipino sa Barcelona, Espanya, nagbigay siya ng ambag-sulatin sa La Solidaridad.

Ang kanilang mga mithiin:

1. na ang Pilipinas ay maging bahaging-lalawigan ng Espanya;2. na magkaroon ng mga kinatawan sa Batasan ng Espanya (Parlamento);3. na magkaroon ng mga namumunong paring Pilipino o magkaroon ng sekularisasyon;4. kalayaan sa pagtitipon-tipon at pamamahayag;5. pantay na karapatan sa harap ng batas, maging Pilipino man o Kastila.

Hindi matanggap ng mga maykapangyarihang opisyal ang mga pagbabagong iyon, sapagkat nangangahulugan ng pagkawala ng pangingibabaw ng Kastila. Kaya sa pagbabalik ni Rizal sa Maynila mula sa Espanya, pinaratangan siya ng paghahasik ng gulo dahil sa pagtatatag ng La Liga Filipina, nilitis at ipinatapon sa Dapitan, Zamboanga noong 1892. Doon, nagtayo siya ng isang paaralang pambata, at isang pagamutan. Bukod dito, nagsagawa rin siya ng isang pambayang sistema ng padaloy-tubig.

[baguhin] Pagbitay, Kamatayan at Pagka-martir

Pagbaril kay José Rizal sa Bagumbayan.

Noong 1896, natuklasan ang lihim na samahang Katipunan, kaya bigla itong naglunsad ng rebolusyon. Nang mga panahong iyon. Pinayagan si Rizal ng pamahalaang maglingkod sa Cuba bilang manggagamot sa panig ng Espanya at naglalayag patungo sa nasabing lugar. Pagsiklab ng himagsikan, kaagad siyang ipinaaresto sa barko at ipinabalik sa Pilipinas. Nadawit siya bilang kapangkat at kapanalig ng mga nag-aalsa. Pinaratangan siya ng paghihimagsik at pagtatangkang ibagsak ang pamahalaan, at pagtatatag ng isang bawal na samahan.

Napatunayang siyang nagkasala at hinatulan ng bitay. Noong ika-30 ng Disyembre 1896, binaril siya sa Bagumbayan, na Liwasang Rizal ngayon. Hiniling niyang huwag lagyan ng piring sa mata at mabaril ng paharap, subalit pinayagan lamang na alisin ang piring sa mata. Dahil dito, sa pagbaril sa kanya, siya'y pumihit paharap, habang bumabagsak, bilang tanda na hindi siya taksil sa pamahalaan.

Sipi mula sa kaniyang huling liham: "Prof. Fernando Blumentritt - My dear Brother, when you receive this letter, I shall be dead by then. Tomorrow at 7, I shall be shot; but I am innocent of the crime of rebellion..." (Mahal na Kapatid, wala na akong buhay sa oras na matanggap mo ang liham na ito. Bukas ng ala-siyete, ako ay babarilin; subalit ako ay walang kinalaman sa salang rebelyon...)

Hindi kalayuan sa lugar na kanyang kinabagsakan, may isang malaking monumento ngayon, gawa ni Richard Kissling, isang eskultor escoces na siya ring lumikha ng estatwa ni Wilhelm Tell. May nakasulat dito- "Nais kong ipakita sa mga nagkakait ng karapatan sa pag-ibig sa tinubuang lupa, na kapag tayo'y marunong mag-alay ng sariling buhay alinsunod sa ating tungkulin at paniniwala, ang kamataya'y di mahalaga, kung papanaw dahil sa ating mga minamahal- ang ating bayan at iba pang mga mahal sa buhay."

José RizalFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, search This article is about the Philippine national hero. For other uses, see José Rizal (disambiguation).

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda

José Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines.

BornJune 19, 1861

Calamba, Laguna, Philippines

Died

December 30, 1896 (aged 35)

Bagumbayan (now Rizal Park), Manila,

Philippines

MonumentsRizal Park, Manila

Calamba,Laguna

Alma mater

Ateneo Municipal de Manila, University of

Santo Tomas, Universidad Central de Madrid,

University of Paris, Ruprecht Karl University

of Heidelberg

Organization La Solidaridad, La Liga Filipina

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda[1] (June 19, 1861 – December 30, 1896, Bagumbayan), was a Chinese Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reforms in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is considered a national hero of the Philippines,[2] and the anniversary of Rizal's death is commemorated as a Philippine holiday called Rizal Day. Rizal's 1896 military trial and execution made him a martyr of the Philippine Revolution.

The seventh of eleven children born to a wealthy family in the town of Calamba, Laguna, Rizal attended the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, earning a Bachelor of Arts. He enrolled in Medicine and Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas and then traveled alone to Madrid, Spain, where he continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid, earning the degree

of Licentiate in Medicine. He attended the University of Paris and earned a second doctorate at the University of Heidelberg. Rizal was a polyglot conversant in at least ten languages.[3][4][5][6] He was a prolific poet, essayist, diarist, correspondent, and novelist whose most famous works were his two novels, Noli me Tangere and El filibusterismo.[7] These are social commentaries on the Philippines that formed the nucleus of literature that inspired dissent among peaceful reformists and spurred the militancy of armed revolutionaries against the Spanish colonial authorities.

As a political figure, Jose Rizal was the founder of La Liga Filipina, a civic organization that subsequently gave birth to the Katipunan[8] led by Andrés Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo. He was a proponent of institutional reforms by peaceful means rather than by violent revolution. The general consensus among Rizal scholars, however, attributed his martyred death as the catalyst that precipitated the Philippine Revolution.

Contents[hide]

1 Family 2 Education 3 Rizal's romantic attachments 4 Writings of Rizal 5 Other works 6 Persecutions 7 Exile in Dapitan 8 Last days 9 Execution 10 Aftermath

o 10.1 Retraction controversyo 10.2 "Mi último adiós"o 10.3 Josephine Brackeno 10.4 Camilo de Polavieja

11 Criticism 12 Legacy

o 12.1 Rizal in popular culture 13 See also 14 References 15 Further reading 16 External links

[edit] Family

[show]v · d · ePart of José Rizal's ancestry

    Domingo Lam-co     

Inez de la Rosa

       

Eugenio Ochoa

     

Benigna  

               

   

           

                         

         

     

                   

  Josefa  

Francisco Mercado

     

Bernarda Monicha

 

Manuel de Quintos

     

Regina Ochoa

 

               

 

                         

               

         

     

                               

Juan Mercado

     

Cirila Alejandro

 

Clemente Mercado

   

Lorenzo Alberto Alonso

     

Brígida de Quintos

 

               

                       

                             

   

                               

     

Francisco Rizal

Mercado       

Manuel Alonso

 

Juan Alonso

 

Gregorio Alonso

 

Teodora Alonso

       

                                           

 

                                         

   

                                             

     

                                                             

 

Saturnina Rizal

   

Narcisa Rizal

   

Lucia Rizal

   

José Rizal

   

Josefa Rizal

   

Soledad Rizal

 

                                                           

     

Paciano Rizal

 

Olympia Rizal

 

María Rizal

 

Concepción Rizal

 

Trinidad Rizal

     

Francisco Engracio Mercado II (1818–Present)

Jose Rizal's parents, Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandro (1818–1898)[9] and Teodora Morales Alonso Realonda y Quintos (1826–1911),[9] were prosperous farmers who were granted lease of a hacienda and an accompanying rice farm by the Dominicans. Rizal was the seventh child of their eleven children namely: Saturnina (Neneng) (1850–1913), Paciano (1851–1930), Narcisa (Sisa) (1852–1939), Olympia (Ypia) (1855–1887), Lucia (1857–1919), María (Biang) (1859–1945), José Protasio (1861–1896), Concepción (Concha) (1862–1865), Josefa (Panggoy) (1865–1945), Trinidad (1868–1951) and Soledad (Choleng)(1870–1929).

Rizal was a 5th-generation patrilineal descendant of Domingo Lam-co (traditional Chinese: 柯儀南; simplified Chinese: 柯仪南; pinyin: Kē Yínán), a Chinese immigrant entrepreneur who sailed to the Philippines from Jinjiang, Quanzhou in the mid-17th century.[10] Lam-co married Inez de la Rosa, a Sangley of Luzon.

In 1849, Governor-General of the Philippines Narciso Claveria issued a Decree by which native Filipino and immigrant families were to adopt Spanish surnames from a list of Spanish family names. Although the Chino Mestizos were allowed to hold on to their Chinese surnames, Lam-co changed his surname to the Spanish "Mercado" (market), possibly to indicate their Chinese merchant roots. José's father Francisco[9] adopted the surname "Rizal" (originally Ricial, the green of young growth or green fields), which was suggested to him by a provincial governor, or as José had described him, "a friend of the family". However, the name change caused confusion in the business affairs of Francisco, most of which were begun under the old name. After a few years, he settled on the name "Rizal Mercado" as a compromise, but usually just used the original surname "Mercado".

Upon enrolling at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, José dropped the last three names that make up his full name, at the advice of his brother, Paciano Rizal Mercado, and the Rizal Mercado family, thus rendering his name as "José Protasio Rizal". Of this, Rizal writes: "My family never paid much attention [to our second surname Rizal], but now I had to use it, thus giving me the appearance of an illegitimate child!"[11] This was to enable him to travel freely and disassociate him from his brother, who had gained notoriety with his earlier links with native priests who were sentenced to death as subversives. From early childhood, José and Paciano were already advancing unheard-of political ideas of freedom and individual rights which infuriated the

authorities.[12][13] Despite the name change, José, as "Rizal" soon distinguishes himself in poetry writing contests, impressing his professors with his facility with Castilian and other foreign languages, and later, in writing essays that are critical of the Spanish historical accounts of the pre-colonial Philippine societies. Indeed, by 1891, the year he finished his sunset, this second surname had become so well known that, as he writes to another friend, "All my family now carry the name Rizal instead of Mercado because the name Rizal means persecution! Good! I too want to join them and be worthy of this family name..."[11] José became the focal point by which the family became known, at least from the point of view of colonial authorities.

Aside from Chinese ancestry, recent genealogical research has found that José had Spanish and Japanese ancestors. His maternal great-great-grandfather (Teodora's great-grandfather) was Eugenio Ursua, a descendant of Japanese settlers, who married a native named Benigna (surname unknown). They gave birth to Regina Ursua who married a Tagalog Sangley mestizo from Pangasinán named Manuel de Quintos, Teodora's grandfather. Their daughter Brígida de Quintos married a Spanish mestizo named Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, the father of Teodora.

[edit] Education

Rizal as a student at the University of Santo Tomas.

Rizal first studied under the tutelage of Justiniano Aquino Cruz in Biñan, Laguna. He was sent to Manila and enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. He graduated as one of the nine students in his class declared sobresaliente or outstanding. He continued his education at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila to obtain a land surveyor and assessor's degree, and at the same time at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters where he studied Philosophy and Letters. Upon learning that his mother was going blind, he decided to study medicine specializing in ophthalmology at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine and Surgery but did not complete the program, claiming discrimination by the Spanish Dominican friars against the native students.[14]

Rizal, 11 years old, a student at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila.

Without his parents' knowledge and consent, but secretly supported by his brother Paciano, he traveled alone to Europe: Madrid in May 1882 and studied medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid where he earned the degree, Licentiate in Medicine. His education continued at the University of Paris and the University of Heidelberg where he earned a second doctorate. In Berlin he was inducted as a member of the Berlin Ethnological Society and the Berlin Anthropological Society under the patronage of the famous pathologist Rudolf Virchow. Following custom, he delivered an address in German in April 1887 before the anthropological society on the orthography and structure of the Tagalog language. He left Heidelberg a poem, "A las flores del Heidelberg," which was both an evocation and a prayer for the welfare of his native land and the unification of common values between East and West.

At Heidelberg, the 25-year-old Rizal, completed in 1887 his eye specialization under the renowned professor, Otto Becker. There he used the newly invented ophthalmoscope (invented by Hermann von Helmholtz) to later operate on his own mother's eye. From Heidelberg, Rizal wrote his parents: “I spend half of the day in the study of German and the other half, in the diseases of the eye. Twice a week, I go to the bierbrauerie, or beerhall, to speak German with my student friends.” He lived in a Karlstraße boarding house then moved to Ludwigsplatz. There, he met Reverend Karl Ullmer and stayed with them in Wilhelmsfeld, where he wrote the last few chapters of "Noli Me Tangere".

A plaque marks the Heidelberg building where he trained with Professor Becker, while in Wilhemsfeld, a smaller version of the Rizal Park with his bronze statue stands and the street where he lived was also renamed after him. A sandstone fountain in Pastor Ullmer’s house garden where Rizal lived in Wilhelmsfeld, stands.[15]

Rizal's multifacetedness was described by his German friend, Dr. Adolf Meyer, as "stupendous."[16][17] Documented studies show him to be a polymath with the ability to master various skills and subjects.[3][4][16] He was an ophthalmologist, sculptor, painter, educator, farmer, historian, playwright and journalist. Besides poetry and creative writing, he dabbled, with varying degrees of expertise, in architecture, cartography, economics, ethnology, anthropology, sociology, dramatics, martial arts, fencing and pistol shooting. He was also a Freemason, joining Acacia Lodge No. 9 during his time in Spain and becoming a Master Mason in 1884.

[edit] Rizal's romantic attachments

Business Card shows Dr. Jose Rizal is an Ophthalmologist in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Government erected a plaque beside Dr. Jose Rizal residence in Hong Kong

José Rizal's life is one of the most documented of the 19th century due to the vast and extensive records written by and about him.[18] Most everything in his short life is recorded somewhere, being himself a regular diarist and prolific letter writer, much of these material having survived. His biographers, however, have faced the difficulty of translating his writings because of Rizal's habit of switching from one language to another. They drew largely from his travel diaries with their insights of a young Asian encountering the west for the first time. They included his later trips, home and back again to Europe through Japan and the United States, and, finally, through his self-imposed exile in Hong Kong. During December 1891 to June 1892, Rizal lived with his family in Number 2 of Rednaxela Terrace, 5 D'Aguilar Street, Central district, Hong Kong island, this house was also used as his ophthalmologist clinic from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.. This period of his education and his frenetic pursuit of life included his recorded affections. Historians write of Rizal's "dozen women", even if only nine were identified. They were Gertrude Becket of Chalcot Crescent (London), wealthy and high-minded Nelly Boustead of the English and Iberian merchant family, last descendant of a noble Japanese family Seiko Usui (affectionately called O-

Sei-san), his earlier friendship with Segunda Katigbak and eight-year romantic relationship with his first cousin, Leonor Rivera.

Leonor Rivera is the one who kept Rizal focused on his studies and kept him from falling in – love with other women. The news of Leonor Rivera's marriage to an Englishman Henry Kipping (her mother's choice) devastated Rizal. She was then immortalized by Rizal in the character of "Maria Clara" in his novel Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

The others were: Leonor Valenzuela (Filipina), Consuelo Ortiga y Rey (Spanish), Suzanna Jacoby (Belgian),and Josephine Bracken (Irish).

His European friends kept almost everything he gave them, including doodlings on pieces of paper. In the home of a Spanish liberal, Pedro Ortiga y Pérez, he left an impression that was to be remembered by his daughter, Consuelo. In her diary, she wrote of a day Rizal spent there and regaled them with his wit, social graces, and sleight-of-hand tricks. In London, during his research on Morga's writings, he became a regular guest in the home of Dr. Reinhold Rost of the British Museum who referred to him as "a gem of a man."[18][19] The family of Karl Ullmer, pastor of Wilhelmsfeld, and the Blumentritts saved even buttonholes and napkins with sketches and notes. They were ultimately bequeathed to the Rizal family to form a treasure trove of memorabilia.

In 1890, Rizal, 29, left Paris for Brussels as he was preparing for the publication of his annotations of Antonio de Morga’s “Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas.” There, he lived in the boarding house of the two Jacoby sisters, Catherina and Suzanna who had a niece also named Suzanna ("Thill"), 16. Historian Gregorio F. Zaide states that Rizal had “his romance with Suzanne Jacoby, 45, the petite niece of his landladies.” Belgian Pros Slachmuylders, however, believed that Rizal had a romance with the niece, Suzanna Thill, in 1890. Rizal's Brussels' stay was short-lived, as he moved to Madrid, leaving the young Suzanna a box of chocolates. Suzanne replied in French: “After your departure, I did not take the chocolate. The box is still intact as on the day of your parting. Don’t delay too long writing us because I wear out the soles of my shoes for running to the mailbox to see if there is a letter from you. There will never be any home in which you are so loved as in that in Brussels, so, you little bad boy, hurry up and come back…” (Oct. 1, 1890 letter). Slachmuylders’ group in 2007 unveiled a historical marker commemorating Rizal’s stay in Brusells in 1890.[20]

[edit] Writings of RizalJosé Rizal was a very prolific author from a young age. Among his earliest writings are El Consejo de los Dioses, A la juventud filipina, Canto del viajero, Canto de María Clara, Me piden versos, Por la educación, Junto al Pasig, etc. On his early writings he frequently depicted renowned Spanish explorers, kings and generals, and pictured Education (the Philippines enjoyed a free public system of education established by the Spaniards) as "the breath of life instilling charming virtue". He had even written of one of his Spanish teachers as having brought "the light of the eternal splendor".

The content of Rizal's writings changed considerably in his two most famous novels, Noli me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. These writings angered both the Spaniards colonial elite and some of the hispanized Filipinos due to their insulting symbolism. They are highly critical of Spanish friars and the atrocities committed in the name of the Church. Rizal's first critic was Ferdinand Blumentritt, a Czech professor and historian whose first reaction was of misgiving. Blumentritt was the grandson of the Imperial Treasurer at Vienna in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire and a staunch defender of the Catholic faith. This did not dissuade him however from writing the preface of El filibusterismo after he had translated Noli me Tangere into German. Noli was published in Berlin (1887) and Fili in Ghent (1891) with funds borrowed largely from Rizal's friends. As Blumentritt had warned, these led to Rizal's prosecution as the inciter of revolution and eventually, to a military trial and execution. The intended consequence of teaching the natives where they stood brought about an adverse reaction, as the Philippine Revolution of 1896 took off virulently thereafter.

Leaders of the reform movement in Spain: Left to Right: Rizal, del Pilar, and Ponce

As leader of the reform movement of Filipino students in Spain, he contributed essays, allegories, poems, and editorials to the Spanish newspaper La Solidaridad in Barcelona. The core of his writings centers on liberal and progressive ideas of individual rights and freedom; specifically, rights for the Filipino people. He shared the same sentiments with members of the movement: that the Philippines is battling, in Rizal's own words, "a double-faced Goliath"--corrupt friars and bad government. His commentaries reiterate the following agenda:[21]

That the Philippines be a province of Spain Representation in the Cortes Filipino priests instead of Spanish friars--Augustinians, Dominicans, and Franciscans--in

parishes and remote sitios Freedom of assembly and speech Equal rights before the law (for both Filipino and Spanish plaintiffs)

The colonial authorities in the Philippines did not favor these reforms even if they were more openly endorsed by Spanish intellectuals like Morayta, Unamuno, Pi y Margall, and others.

[edit] Other works

The Triumph of Science over Death

Rizal also tried his hand at painting and sculpture. His most famous sculptural work was "The Triumph of Science over Death", a clay sculpture composed of a naked, young woman standing on a skull bearing a torch upheld high. The woman symbolized the ignorance of humankind during the Dark Ages, while the torch she bore symbolized the enlightenment science brings over the whole world. He sent the sculpture to his dear friend Blumentritt, together with another one named "The Triumph of Death over Life".

[edit] PersecutionsUpon his return to Manila in 1892, he formed a civic movement called La Liga Filipina. The league advocated these moderate social reforms through legal means, but was disbanded by the governor. At that time, he had already been declared an enemy of the state by the Spanish authorities because of the publication of his novel.

Wenceslao Retana, a political commentator in Spain, had slighted Rizal by writing an insulting article in "La Epoca", a newspaper in Madrid, in which he insinuated that the family and friends of Rizal were ejected from their lands in Calamba for not having paid their due rents. Upon reading the article, Rizal sent immediately a representative to challenge Retana to a duel. Retana published a public apology and later became one of Rizal's biggest admirers, writing Rizal's most important biography.[22] The painful memories of his mother's treatment (when he was ten) at the hands of the civil authorities explain his reaction to Retana. The incident stemmed from an accusation that Rizal's mother, Teodora, tried to poison the wife of a cousin when she claimed she only intervened to help. With the approval of the Church prelates, and without a hearing, she was ordered to prison in Santa Cruz in 1871. She was made to walk the ten miles (16 km) from Calamba. She was released after two-and-a-half years of appeals to the highest court.[3]

In 1887 Rizal wrote a petition on behalf of the tenants of Calamba, and later that year led them to speak out against the friars' attempts to raise rent. They initiated a litigation which resulted in the

Dominicans evicting them from their homes, including the Rizal family. General Valeriano Weyler had the buildings on the farm torn down.

[edit] Exile in DapitanRizal was implicated in the activities of the nascent rebellion and in July 1892, was deported to Dapitan in the province of Zamboanga, a peninsula of Mindanao.[23] There he built a school, a hospital and a water supply system, and taught and engaged in farming and horticulture.[citation

needed] Abaca, then the vital raw material for cordage and which Rizal and his students planted in the thousands, was a memorial.[citation needed]

The boys' school, in which they learned English, considered a prescient if unusual option then, was conceived by Rizal and antedated Gordonstoun with its aims of inculcating resourcefulness and self sufficiency in young men.[citation needed] They would later enjoy successful lives as farmers and honest government officials.[citation needed] One, a Muslim, became a datu, and another, José Aseniero, who was with Rizal throughout the life of the school, became Governor of Zamboanga.[citation needed]

In Dapitan, the Jesuits mounted a great effort to secure his return to the fold led by Fray Sánchez, his former professor, who failed in his mission. The task was resumed by Fray Pastells, a prominent member of the Order. In a letter to Pastells, Rizal sails close to the ecumenism familiar to us today.[24]

- "We are entirely in accord in admitting the existence of God. How can I doubt his when I am convinced of mine. Who so recognizes the effect recognizes the cause. To doubt God is to doubt one's own conscience, and in consequence, it would be to doubt everything; and then what is life for? Now then, my faith in God, if the result of a ratiocination may be called faith, is blind, blind in the sense of knowing nothing. I neither believe nor disbelieve the qualities which many attribute to him; before theologians' and philosophers' definitions and lucubrations of this ineffable and inscrutable being I find myself smiling. Faced with the conviction of seeing myself confronting the supreme Problem, which confused voices seek to explain to me, I cannot but reply: 'It could be; but the God that I foreknow is far more grand, far more good: Plus Supra!...I believe in (revelation); but not in revelation or revelations which each religion or religions claim to possess. Examining them impartially, comparing them and scrutinizing them, one cannot avoid discerning the human 'fingernail' and the stamp of the time in which they were written... No, let us not make God in our image, poor inhabitants that we are of a distant planet lost in infinite space. However, brilliant and sublime our intelligence may be, it is scarcely more than a small spark which shines and in an instant is extinguished, and it alone can give us no idea of that blaze, that conflagration, that ocean of light. I believe in revelation, but in that living revelation which surrounds us on every side, in that voice, mighty, eternal, unceasing, incorruptible, clear, distinct, universal as is the being from whom it proceeds, in that revelation which speaks to us and penetrates us from the moment we are born until we die. What books can better reveal to us the goodness of God, his love, his providence, his eternity, his glory, his wisdom? 'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork'."[18]

Bust in clay, by Rizal

As a gift to his mother on her birth anniversary he wrote the other of his poems of maturity, "Mi Retiro," with a description of a calm night overlaid with a million stars.[citation needed] The poem, with its concept of a spontaneous creation and speaking of God as Plus Supra, is considered his accommodation of evolution.[citation needed]

...the breeze idly cools, the firmament glows,the waves tell in sighs to the docile windtimeless stories beneath the shroud of night.

Say that they tell of the world, the first dawnof the sun, the first kiss that his bosom inflamed,when thousands of beings surged out of nothing,and peopled the depths, and to the heights mounted,to wherever his fecund kiss was implanted.[25]

Rizal's pencil sketch of Blumentritt

His best friend, professor Ferdinand Blumentritt, kept him in touch with European friends and fellow-scientists who wrote a stream of letters which arrived in Dutch, French, German and English and which baffled the censors, delaying their transmittal. Those four years of his exile coincided with the development of the Philippine Revolution from inception and to its final breakout, which, from the viewpoint of the court which was to try him, suggested his complicity in it.[18] He condemned the uprising, although all the members of the Katipunan had made him their honorary president and had used his name as a cry for war, unity, and liberty.[26]

Near the end of his exile he met and courted the stepdaughter of a patient, an Irishwoman named Josephine Bracken. He was unable to obtain an ecclesiastical marriage because he would not

return to Catholicism and was not known to be clearly against revolution.[citation needed] He nonetheless considered Josephine to be his wife and the only person mentioned in the poem, Farewell, sweet stranger, my friend, my joy...[27]

[edit] Last daysMain article: Philippine Revolution

By 1896, the rebellion fomented by the Katipunan, a militant secret society, had become a full-blown revolution, proving to be a nationwide uprising and leading to the first proclamation of a democratic republic in Asia. To dissociate himself, Rizal volunteered and was given leave by the Governor-General, Ramón Blanco, to serve in Cuba to minister to victims of yellow fever. Blanco later was to present his sash and sword to the Rizal family as an apology.

About two weeks before he left Dapitan, Rizal met Dr. Pio Valenzuela an emissary from the Katipunan, to whom Rizal expressed his doubts of an insufficiently armed revolution. Rizal argued that the revolution cannot succeed until sufficient arms can be assured and the support of the wealthy Filipinos had been won over.[3]

Rizal was arrested en route to Cuba, imprisoned in Barcelona, and sent back to Manila to stand trial. He was implicated in the revolution through his association with members of the Katipunan. During the entire passage, he was unchained, no Spaniard laid a hand on him, and had many opportunities to escape but refused to do so. While imprisoned in Fort Santiago, he issued a manifesto disavowing the revolution and declaring that the education of Filipinos and their achievement of a national identity were prerequisites to freedom; he was to be tried before a court-martial for rebellion, sedition, and conspiracy. Rizal was convicted on all three charges and sentenced to death. Blanco, who was sympathetic to Rizal, had been forced out of office, and the friars, led by then Archbishop of Manila Bernardino Nozaleda, had 'intercalated' Camilo de Polavieja in his stead, as the new Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines after pressuring Queen-Regent Maria Cristina of Spain, thus sealing Rizal's fate.

His poem, undated and believed to be written on the day before his execution, was hidden in an alcohol stove and later handed to his family with his few remaining possessions, including the final letters and his last bequests. Within hearing of the Spanish guards he reminded his sisters in English, "There is something inside it," referring to the alcohol stove given by the Pardo de Taveras which was to be returned after his execution, thereby emphasizing the importance of the poem. This instruction was followed by another, "Look in my shoes," in which another item was secreted. Exhumation of his remains in August 1898, under American rule, revealed he had been uncoffined, his burial not on sanctified ground granted the 'confessed' faithful, and whatever was in his shoes had disintegrated.[3]

In his letter to his family he wrote: "Treat our aged parents as you would wish to be treated...Love them greatly in memory of me...December 30, 1896."[18]

In his final letter, to Blumentritt – Tomorrow at 7, I shall be shot; but I am innocent of the crime of rebellion. I am going to die with a tranquil conscience.[18] He had to reassure him that he had

not turned revolutionary as he once considered being, and that he shared his ideals to the very end. He also bequeathed a book personally bound by him in Dapitan to his 'best and dearest friend.' When Blumentritt received it in his hometown Litoměřice (Leitmeritz) he broke down and wept.

[edit] Execution

A photographic record of Rizal's execution in what was then Bagumbayan.

Moments before his execution by a firing squad of native infantry of the Spanish Army, backed by an insurance force of Spanish troops, the Spanish surgeon general requested to take his pulse; it was normal. Aware of this, the Spanish sergeant in charge of the backup force hushed his men to silence when they began raising '¡vivas!' with the partisan crowd. His last words were those of Jesus Christ: "consummatum est",--it is finished.[4][28][29]

He was secretly buried in Pacò Cemetery in Manila with no identification on his grave. His sister Narcisa toured all possible gravesites and found freshly turned earth at the cemetery with guards posted at the gate. Assuming this could be the most likely spot, there never having any ground burials, she made a gift to the caretaker to mark the site "RPJ", Rizal's initials in reverse.

Rizal's tomb in Paco Park (formerly Paco Cemetery).

A national monument

Main article: Rizal Park

A monument, with his remains, now stands near the place where he fell, designed by the Swiss Richard Kissling of the famed William Tell sculpture.[30] The statue carries the inscription "I

want to show to those who deprive people the right to love of country, that when we know how to sacrifice ourselves for our duties and convictions, death does not matter if one dies for those one loves – for his country and for others dear to him."[18]

[edit] Aftermath

[edit] Retraction controversy

There is controversy on whether Rizal actually wrote a document of retraction which stated: "I retract with all my heart whatever in my words, writings, publications and conduct have been contrary to my character as a son of the Catholic Church."[31] That his burial was not on holy ground led to doubts about his retraction. Then there is no certificate of Rizal's marriage to Josephine Bracken.[32] Anti-retractionists also point to "Adiós": "I go where there are no slaves, no hangmen or oppressors, where faith does not kill," which they refer to the Catholic religion.[33]

Also there is an allegation that the retraction document was a forgery.[34] After analyzing 6 major documents of Rizal, Ricardo Pascual concluded that the retraction document, said to have been discovered in 1935, was not in Rizal's handwriting. Senator Rafael Palma, a former President of the University of the Philippines and a prominent Mason, argued that a retraction is not in keeping with Rizal's character and mature beliefs.[35] He called the retraction story a "pious fraud."[36] Others who deny the retraction are Frank Laubach,[4] a Protestant minister, Austin Coates,[28] a British writer, and Ricardo Manapat, director of the National Archives.[37]

On the other side of the debate are Catholic church leaders, and historians such as Austin Craig,[3]

Gregorio Zaide,[38] Ambeth Ocampo,[37] Nick Joaquin,[39] and Nicolas Zafra of UP.[40] They state that the retraction document was deemed authentic by Rizal expert, Teodoro Kalaw (a 33rd degree Mason) and "handwriting experts...known and recognized in our courts of justice," H. Otley Beyer and Dr. José I. Del Rosario, both of UP.[40] They also refer to the 11 eyewitnesses present when Rizal wrote his retraction, signed a Catholic prayer book, and recited Catholic prayers, and the multitude who saw him kiss the crucifix before his execution. A great grand nephew of Rizal, Fr. Marciano Guzmán, cites that Rizal's 4 confessions were certified by 5 eyewitnesses, 10 qualified witnesses, 7 newspapers, and 12 historians and writers including Aglipayan bishops, Masons and anti-clericals.[41] One witness was the head of the Spanish Supreme Court at the time of his notarized declaration and was highly esteemed by Rizal for his integrity.[42] Because of what he sees as the strength these direct evidence have in the light of the historical method, in contrast with merely circumstantial evidence, UP professor emeritus of history Nicolas Zafra called the retraction "a plain unadorned fact of history."[40] Guzmán attributes the denial of retraction to "the blatant disbelief and stubbornness" of some Masons.[41]

Supporters see in it Rizal's "moral courage...to recognize his mistakes,"[38][43] his reversion to the "true faith," and thus his "unfading glory,"[42] and a return to the "ideals of his fathers" which brings his stature as a patriot to the level of greatness.[44] On the other hand, senator Jose Diokno stated: "Surely whether Rizal died as a Catholic or an apostate adds or detracts nothing from his greatness as a Filipino... Catholic or Mason, Rizal is still Rizal: the hero who courted death 'to prove to those who deny our patriotism that we know how to die for our duty and our beliefs'."[45]

[edit] "Mi último adiós"

Main article: Mi último adiós

The poem is more aptly titled, "Adiós, Patria Adorada" (literally "Farewell, Beloved Fatherland"), by virtue of logic and literary tradition, the words coming from the first line of the poem itself. It first appeared in print not in Manila but in Hong Kong in 1897, when a copy of the poem and an accompanying photograph came to J. P. Braga who decided to publish it in a monthly journal he edited. There was a delay when Braga, who greatly admired Rizal, wanted a good job of the photograph and sent it to be engraved in London, a process taking well over two months. It finally appeared under 'Mi último pensamiento,' a title he supplied and by which it was known for a few years. Thus, when the Jesuit Balaguer's anonymous account of the retraction and the marriage to Josephine was appearing in Barcelona, no word of the poem's existence reached him in time to revise what he had written. His account was too elaborate that Rizal would have had no time to write "Adiós."

Six years after his death, when the Philippine Organic Act of 1902 was being debated in the United States Congress, Representative Henry Cooper of Wisconsin rendered an English translation of Rizal's valedictory poem capped by the peroration, "Under what clime or what skies has tyranny claimed a nobler victim?"[46] The Americans, however, would not sign the bill into law until 1916 and did not grant full autonomy until 1946—fifty years after Rizal's death.

[edit] Josephine Bracken

Josephine Bracken promptly joined the revolutionary forces in Cavite province, making her way through thicket and mud, and helped operate a reloading jig for Mauser cartridges at the arsenal at Imus. The short-lived arsenal under the Revolutionary General Pantaleón García had been reloading spent cartridges again and again and the reloading jig was in continuous use, but Imus was under threat of recapture that the operation had to move, with Josephine, to Maragondon, the mountain redoubt in Cavite. She witnessed the Tejeros Convention prior to returning to Manila and was summoned by the Governor-General, but owing to her stepfather's American citizenship she could not be forcibly deported. She left voluntarily, returning to Hong Kong. She later married another Filipino, Vicente Abad, a mestizo acting as agent for the Philippine firm of Tabacalera. She died in Hong Kong in 1902, a pauper's death, buried in an unknown grave, and never knew how a line of verse had rendered her immortal.[47]

[edit] Camilo de Polavieja

Polavieja faced condemnation by his countrymen after his return to Spain. While visiting Giron, in Cataluña, circulars were distributed among the crowd bearing Rizal's last verses, his portrait, and the charge that Polavieja was responsible for the loss of the Philippines to Spain.

[edit] Criticism

A photo engraving of the execution of Filipino Insurgents at Bagumbayan (now Luneta)

Attempts to debunk legends surrounding Rizal, and the tug of war between free thinker and Catholic, have served to keep him a living issue. While some leaders, Gandhi for one, have been elevated to high pedestals and even deified, Rizal has remained a controversial figure. In one recorded fall from grace he succumbed to the temptation of a 'lady of the camellias.' The writer, Maximo Viola, a friend of Rizal's, was alluding to Dumas's 1848 novel, La dame aux camelias, about a man who fell in love with a courtesan. While the affair was on record, there was no account in Viola's letter whether it was more than a one-night event and if it was more of a business transaction than an amorous affair.[48]

Others present him as a man of contradictions. Miguel de Unamuno in "Rizal: the Tagalog Hamlet", said of him, "a soul that dreads the revolution although deep down desires it. He pivots between fear and hope, between faith and despair."[49] His critics assert this character flaw is translated into his two novels where he opposes violence in Noli and appears to advocate it in Fili, contrasting Ibarra's idealism to Simoun's cynicism. His defenders insist this ambivalence is trounced when Simoun is struck down in the sequel's final chapters, reaffirming the author's resolute stance, Pure and spotless must the victim be if the sacrifice is to be acceptable.[50]

In the same tenor, Rizal condemned the uprising when Bonifacio asked for his support. Bonifacio, in turn, openly denounced him as a coward for his refusal[51], although he was obviously missing his mark, as Rizal had proved in numerous occasions throughout his life, such as when he challenged Wenceslao Retana or Antonio Luna to duel, to be a very brave man.

Rizal believed that an armed struggle for independence was premature and ill-conceived. Here Rizal is speaking through Father Florentino: ...our liberty will (not) be secured at the sword's point...we must secure it by making ourselves worthy of it. And when a people reaches that height God will provide a weapon, the idols will be shattered, tyranny will crumble like a house of cards and liberty will shine out like the first dawn.[50]

The fact that Rizal never fought in the battlefield and that he ultimately disowned the Philippine Revolution leads to the sometimes bitter question of his ranking as the nation's supposed premier hero. There are those who believe in the beatification of Bonifacio in his stead. It has been argued that it is odd that the Philippines is the only country with a non-revolutionary as its national hero[citation needed].

Teodoro Agoncillo opines that the Philippine national hero, unlike those of other countries, is not "the leader of its liberation forces". He gives the opinion that Bonifacio not replace Rizal as national hero but that be honored alongside him.[52] Renato Constantino writes Rizal is a "United States-sponsored hero" who was promoted as the greatest Filipino hero during the American colonial period of the Philippines - after Aguinaldo lost the Philippine-American War. The United States promoted Rizal, who represented peaceful political advocacy (in fact, repudiation of violent means in general) instead of more radical figures whose ideas could inspire resistance against American rule. Rizal was selected over Bonifacio who was viewed "too radical" and Apolinario Mabini who was considered "unregenerate."[53] Milagros Guerrero reveres Bonifacio for founding and organizing the Katipunan, "the first anticolonial revolution in Asia" and "the first Filipino national government.[54] In his defense, the historian, Rafael Palma, contends that the revolution of Bonifacio is a consequence wrought by the writings of Rizal and that although the Bonifacio's revolver produced an immediate outcome, the pen of Rizal generated a more lasting achievement.[55] Rizal disowned the Philippine Revolution of 1896, calling it "highly absurd."[56]

Despite the lack of any official declaration explicitly proclaiming them as national heroes, Rizal, along with Bonifacio, remains admired and revered for his role in Philippine history. Heroes, according to historians, should not be legislated. Their appreciation should be better left to academics. Acclamation for heroes, they felt, would be recognition enough.[57]

Some writers have noted that, despite his Chinese ancestry, Rizal's writings show an anti-Sinicism almost bordering on anti-Chinese racism.[58] [59] Commenting on the scene in the El filibusterismo where a Chinese vendor is bullied by students (Chapter 14), Benedict Anderson notes that "[o]ne cannot miss the strong whiff of racism."

[edit] Legacy

Rizal Park, Seattle

Rizal on the obverse side of a 1970 Philippine peso coin

Rizal's advocacy of institutional reforms by peaceful means rather than by violent revolution makes him Asia's first modern non-violent proponent of political reforms. Forerunner of Gandhi and contemporary of Tagore and Sun Yat Sen, all four created a new climate of thought throughout Asia, leading to the attrition of colonialism and the emergence of new Asiatic nations by the end of World War II. Rizal's appearance on the scene came at a time when European colonial power had been growing and spreading, mostly motivated by trade, some for the purpose of bringing Western forms of government and education to peoples regarded as backward. Coinciding with the appearance of those other leaders, Rizal from an early age had been enunciating in poems, tracts and plays, ideas all his own of modern nationhood as a practical possibility in Asia. In the Noli he stated that if European civilization had nothing better to offer, colonialism in Asia was doomed.[60] Such was recognized by Gandhi who regarded him as a forerunner in the cause of freedom. Jawaharlal Nehru, in his prison letters to his daughter Indira, acknowledged Rizal's significant contributions in the Asian freedom movement. These leaders regarded these contributions as keystones and acknowledged Rizal's role in the movement as foundation layer.

Birthplace of Jose Rizal in Calamba City, Laguna

Rizal, on the 2000 Philippine peso coin

Rizal, through his reading of Morga and other western historians, knew of the genial image of Spain's early relations with his people.[61] In his writings, he showed the disparity between the early colonialists and those of his day, with the latter's atrocities giving rise to Gomburza and the Philippine Revolution of 1896. His biographer, Austin Coates, and writer, Benedict Anderson, believe that Rizal gave the Philippine revolution a genuinely national character; and that Rizal's patriotism and his standing as one of Asia's first intellectuals have inspired others of the importance of a national identity to nation-building.[28][62]

Rizal Park, Wilhelmsfeld

Although his field of action lay in politics, Rizal's real interests lay in the arts and sciences, in literature and in his profession as an ophthalmologist. Shortly after his death, the Anthropological Society of Berlin met to honor him with a reading of a German translation of his farewell poem and Dr. Rudolf Virchow delivering the eulogy.[63]

The Taft Commission in June 1901 approved AcT 137 renaming the District of Morong into the Province of Rizal, and Act 346 authorizing a government subscription for the erection of a national monument in Rizal's honor. Republic Act 1425 was passed in 1956 by the Philippine legislature that would include in all high school and college curricula a course in the study of his life, works and writings. The wide acceptance of Rizal is partly evidenced by the countless towns, streets, and numerous parks in the Philippines named in his honor. Monuments in his honor were erected in Madrid[64] Wilhelmsfeld, Germany,[65] Jinjiang, Fujian, China,[66]

Tribute to Rizal, Cavenagh Bridge, Singapore

Chicago,[67] Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey, San Diego,[68] Seattle, U.S.A.,[69] Mexico City, Mexico, Lima, Peru,[70] and Litomerice, Czech Republic, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[71] Several titles were bestowed on him: "the First Filipino", "Greatest Man of the Brown Race," among others. The Order of the Knights of Rizal, a civic and patriotic organization, boasts of dozens of chapters all over the globe [15] [16]. There are some remote-area religious sects who claim him as a sublimation of Christ.

A two-sided marker bearing a painting of Rizal by Fabian de la Rosa on one side and a bronze bust relief of him by Philippine artist Guillermo Tolentino stands at the Asian Civilisations Museum Green. This marks his visits to Singapore (1882, 1887, 1891,1896).[72]

A Rizal bronze bust was erected at La Molina district, Lima, Peru, designed by Czech sculptor Hanstroff, mounted atop a pedestal base with 4 inaugural plaque markers with the following inscription on one: “Dr. José P. Rizal, Héroe Nacional de Filipinas, Nacionalista, Reformador Political, Escritor, Lingüistica y Poeta, 1861–1896.”[73][74][75]

[edit] Rizal in popular culture

The cinematic depiction of Rizal's literary works won two film industry awards more than a century after his birth. In the 10th FAMAS Awards, he was honored in the Best Story category for Gerardo de León's adaptation of his book Noli me Tangere. The recognition was repeated the following year with his movie version of El Filibusterismo, making him the only person to win back-to-back FAMAS Awards posthumously.[citation needed]

Both novels were translated into opera by the composer-librettist Felipe Padilla de León: Noli me tangere in 1957 and El filibusterismo in 1970; and his 1939 overture, Mariang Makiling, was inspired by Rizal's tale of the same name.[76]

Several films were produced narrating Rizal's life. The most successful was Jose Rizal, produced by GMA Films and released in 1998. Cesar Montano played the title role.[citation needed]. A year before it was shown another movie was made portraying his life while in exile in the island of Dapitan. Titled "Rizal sa Dapitan" produced by Viva Films it stars Albert Martínez as Rizal and Amanda Page as Josephine Bracken. The film was the top grosser of the 1997 Manila Film Festival and won the best actor and actress trophies.[citation needed]. Another film that tackled particularly on the heroism of Rizal was the 2000 film Bayaning 3rd World, directed by Mike de Leon and starring Joel Torre as Jose Rizal.

Rizal also appeared in the 1999 video game Medal of Honor as a secret character in multiplayer, alongside other historical figures such as William Shakespeare and Winston Churchill. He can be unlocked by completing the single-player mode, or through cheat codes.[77][78]

[edit] See also

Dr. José Rizal  In full, JOSÉ PROTACIO RIZAL MERCADO Y ALONSO

REALONDA (born 19 June 1861, Calamba, Philippines- died 30 December 1896, Manila, Philippines), patriot, physician and man of letters whose life and literary works were an inspiration to the Philippine nationalist movement.

Rizal was the son of a prosperous landowner and sugar planter of Chinese-Filipino descent on the island of Luzon. His mother, Teodora Alonso, one of the most highly educated women in the Philippines at that time, exerted a powerful influence on his intellectual development.

He was educated at the Ateneo de Manila and the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. In 1882, he went to study medicine and liberal arts at the University of Madrid. A brilliant student, he soon became the leader of the small community of Filipino students in Spain and committed himself to the reform of Spanish rule in his home country, though he never advocated Philippine independence. The chief enemy of reform, in his eyes, was not Spain, which was going through a profound revolution, but the Franciscan, Augustinian and Dominican friars who held the country in political and economic paralysis.

Rizal continued his medical studies in Paris and Heidelberg. In 1886, he published his first novel in Spanish, Noli Me Tangere, a passionate exposure of the evils of the friars rule, comparable in

its effect to Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. A sequel, El Filibusterismo, 1891, established his reputation as the leading spokesman of the Philippine reform movement. He annotated an edition in 1890 on Antonio Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, which showed that the native people of the Philippines had a long history before the coming of the Spaniards.

He became the leader of the Propaganda Movement, contributing numerous articles to its newspaper, La Solidaridad, published in Barcelona. Rizal's political program, as expressed in the newspaper, included integration of the Philippines as a province of Spain, representation in the Cortes (the Spanish parliament), the replacement of the Spanish friars by the Filipino priests, freedom of assembly and expression, and equality of Filipinos and Spaniards before the law.

Against the advice of his parents and friends, Rizal returned to the Philippines in 1892. He found a nonviolent reform society, La Liga Filipina, in Manila, and was deported to Dapitan, in northwest Mindanao, an island south of the Philippines. He remained in exile for four years, doing scientific research and founding a school and hospital. In 1896, the Katipunan, a nationalist secret society, launched a revolt against Spain. Although he had no connections with that organization or any part in the insurrection, Rizal was arrested and tried for sedition by the military. Found guilty, he wa publicly executed by a firing squad in Manila. His martyrdom convinced Filipinos that there was no alternative to independence from Spain. On the eve of his execution, while confined in Fort Santiago, Rizal wrote Mi Ultimo Adios ("My Last Farewell"), a masterpiece of 19th-century Spanish verse.

Text provided by the Philippine Embassy in Vienna

Dont' miss:

Translated Poems written by José Rizal Illustrations about José Rizal Pictures from "The Story of José Rizal" by Austin Craig

(1909) How it Started 110 Years Ago: 50 Selected Letters

between Rizal and Blumentritt VTR (Virtual Travels of Dr. José Rizal)

Ipinang̃anac si Gat Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado, sa báyan ng̃ Calambâ, sacóp ng̃ lalawigang Laguna, ng̃ ikalabing siyam ng̃ Junio ng̃ taóng sanglibo walóng dáan animnapo't isá.

Si G. Francisco Rizal Mercado ang canyáng amá at si G. Teodora Alonso at Quintos ang canyáng iná.

Ipinang̃anac si G. Francisco Rizal Mercado at Alejandra ng̃ taóng 1811, sa Binyáng, Laguna, at namatáy sa Maynila ng̃ ica 5 ng̃ Enero ng̃ 1898, at si G. Teodora Alonso ay ipinang̃anac sa Meisic, sacóp ng̃ Tundó, Maynila, ng̃ taóng 1825 at nabubuhay hanga ng̃ayón (8 ng̃ Junio ng̃ 1909). Si G. Francisco Mercado ay nag-aral at marunong ng̃ wicang castila at wicang latín, at si G. Teodora Alonso ay nag-aral sa colegio ng̃ Santa Rosa at marunong ng̃ wicang castila.

Ang naguíng mg̃a anác ng̃ mag-asawang ito'y si na guinoong Saturnina, Paciano, Narcisa, Olimpia, Lucía, María, Concepción, Jose, Josefa, Trinidad at Soledad.

Bininyagan si Jose Rizal ng̃ araw ng̃ sábado, icadalawampo't dalawa ng̃ Junio ng̃ 1861. Si G. Rufino Collantes, páring clérigo at cura-párroco sa bayang Calambâ ang sa canyá'y nagbinyag, at si G. Pedro Casañas, páring clérigo at tubô sa Calambâ, ang sa canyá'y nag-anác sa binyág. Capowa namatáy na ang dalawang páring itó.

Pinang̃alanang Jose, dahil sa ang iná ng̃ Doctor Rizal ay namimintacasi sa Patriarca San José, at ang pang̃alawang pang̃alang Protasio ay dahil sa caarawán ng̃ Santong itó, alinsunod sa calendario, ng̃ siyá'y ipang̃anác.

Hindi dating tagláy ng̃ amá at ng̃ mg̃a capatíd ng̃ amá ng̃ ating Doctor ang apellidong Rizal. Pinasimulaang guinamit ang apellidong Rizal ng̃ mag-aral ang batang si Jose, upang siyá'y macaligtas sa mahigpit na pag uusig ng̃ mg̃a fraile sa mg̃a nag-aapellidong Mercado.

Wicang castila ang apellidong Rizal, na ang cahulugán sa wicang tagalog ay ang muling pag-supang ó pag-ulbós ng̃ pinutol na halaman ó damó. May isá pang cahulugán; ang lupang may pananím na anó mang damóng pacain sa mg̃a háyop.

Pagdatíng sa icatlóng taón ng̃ gulang ng̃ musmós na si Jose Rizal ay tinuruan na siyá ng̃ canyáng amá't iná ng̃ pagbasa. Napagkilala ng̃ madla ang cagaling̃an niyáng tumulâ ng̃ wawalóng taón pa lamang ang canyáng gulang, dahil sa isáng

marikít na tuláng canyáng kinathà, na tinakhán ng̃ lahát ng̃ mg̃a manunulang tagalog sa lalawigang Silang̃an.[1]

 

Sa pagcakilala ng̃ amá't iná ni Jose Rizal ng̃ catalasan ng̃ isip at malaking hilig ng̃ caniláng anác na itó sa pag-aaral, caniláng dinalá siya sa Maynila, itinirá sa isang bahay sa daang Cabildo, loob ng̃ Maynila; at ipinasoc ng̃ taóng 1871 sa Ateneo Municipal, na pinang̃angasiwaan ng̃ mg̃a páring jesuita.

Nakilala ni Jose Rizal sa bahay ni pari Burgos si na pare Dandan, Lara at Mendoza na pawang dinakip at ipinatapon sa Marianas ng̃ gobierno ng̃ España, at gayon din si parì Gomez at si pari Zamora, na ipinabitay ng̃ Gobierno ring iyong casama si párì Burgos, na ang naguing sangcala'y ang panghihimagsic ng̃ mg̃a manggagawâ sa Arsenal ng̃ Tang̃uay ng̃ 1872. Sumasabudhì ng̃ madlâ ang mg̃a calupitáng dito'y guinágawâ ng̃ mg̃a panahóng iyón. Ipinabilángo, ipinatapon ó ipinabitay bawa't filipinong numiningning dahil sa tálas ng̃ isip at sa pagsasangalang sa mg̃a catwiran ng̃ lupang kináguisnan. Ang mg̃a nangyaring itó'y nalimbag sa damdamin ng̃ batang si Jose Rizal.

Lumipat itó ng̃ pagtirá sa Ateneo Municipal at ng̃ naroon na'y tila mandín lálo pang náragdagan ang canyáng sipag sa pag-aaral at cabaitang puspós ng̃ ugalì.

Ang naguing maestro niyá'y ang mg̃a jesuitang si parì Cándido Bech at si parì Francisco Sánchez.

Cung ipinamamanglaw ng̃ batang si Jose Rizal ang nakita niyáng pag-amis sa catwiran ng̃ canyang mg̃a caláhì ay lalo ng̃ dinaramdam niyá, ang mg̃a sabihanan ng̃ mg̃a fraileng madalás niyang marinig sa Ateneo Municipal na di umano'y mataas ang caisipan ng̃ táong culay maputi cay sa táong culay caymanguí, madiláw, abóabó ó maitím, bagay na pinagpilitan niyáng siyasatin mulâ noon, cung totoo ng̃â, sapagca't inaacála niyáng lihís sa catowiran ang gayóng pagpapalagáy. Napagtalastas ng̃ madlâ ang ganitóng paghahacahácà ni Jose Rizal, dahil sa isáng casulatang inilathalà ng̃ pantás na si Herr Ferdinand Blumentritt sa icasampung tomo ng̃ Internationales Archiv fiur Ethnographie, ng̃ 1897, na ganitó ang saysay: 

"Sinabi ni Rizal, na maliit pa siya'y malaki ng̃ totoo ang canyang pagdaramdam, dahil sa nakikita niyang sa canya'y pagpapawalang halagá ng̃ mg̃a castilà, dáhil lámang sa siya'y indio[2] Magbuhat niyao'y pinagsicapan niyang pacasiyasatin cung alín ang catwíran ó cadahilanang pinagsasandigan ng̃ mg̃a castila at ng̃ lahat ng̃ mg̃a táong may mapuputing balát upang ipalagáy nilang sila'y matatáas ang ísip cay sa mg̃a táong cawang̃is din nila ang anyô, at taglay ang cáya upang dumúnong at magtamó ng̃ capangyarihang gaya rin nilá.

"Ipinalálagay ng̃ mg̃a tagá Europang silá ang pang̃inoon ng̃ bóong daigdig: sa acalà nila'y silá ang tang̃ing nagtâtaglay ng̃ pagsúlong sa dúnong at sa mg̃a magagandang caugalian, at silá lamang ang táng̃ì at dalisay na liping homo sapiens,[3] samantalang ipinalálagay nilang ang mg̃a ibang lahi ay mababa ang pag-iísip, ang guinagamit na wica'y dukhâ at walang caya upang macuha ang dunong ng̃ mg̃a taga Europa, ano pa't ang mg̃a lahing may culay caymangui, itím, diláw ó abo-abó ay isá sa pascacaiba't ibang anyô ng̃ homo brutus.[4]

"Nang magcágayo'y itinátanong ni Rizal sa sarili; ¿totoo ng̃a cayâ ang mg̃a pinatitibayan nilang ito? Ang tanóng na ito ang totoong laguing sumasaísip niya mulâ pa sa panahong siya'y nag-aaral, at di lamang sa canya cung di naman sa mg̃a cápowà niyáng nag-aaral na mg̃a taga Europa. Hindi nalao't canyang nápagmasid sa colegio na walang pinagcacaibhan ng̃ pag-iisip ng̃ isa't isá, [sa macatowid baga'y ng̃ pag-iisip ng̃ táong maputi ang balát at ng̃ táong caymangui.] Caraniwang lubha ang pagcacápantay ng̃ mg̃a puti at ng̃ mg̃a indio: sa isa't isang panig ay may nakikitang mg̃a tamád at masisipag, mápag-sákit sa pag-aaral at matamarin sa pag-aaral, matálas ang pag-iísip at mapuról ang pag-iísip; sa cawacasan ... wala siyang nakikitang ikinahíhiguit ng̃ mg̃a mapuputíng nag-aaral at gayon din ng̃ mg̃a may

cúlay caymangui. Pinagsiyasat niya ang mg̃a dunong na nauucol sa mg̃a láhi; natotowa siyá pagca nangyayaring dahil sa isang paláisipang may cahirapang ibiníbigay ng̃ profesor ay hindî mátuclasang gawín ng̃ canyang mg̃a casamahang mapuputî, at sila'y nang̃agsisilapit sa canyá upang canyáng gawín cung papaano. Canyang pinagdidilidili at itinututol ang lahat ng̃ itó, hindi dáhil sa isáng pagtatagumpay niyang sarili, cung di dahil sa isáng pagtatagumpay ng̃ canyáng mg̃a cababayan. Dahil dito'y sa colegio ng̃a nagpasimulâ ang canyáng paniniwálang nagcácapantay ang ísip at cáya ng̃ mg̃a europeo at ng̃ mg̃a indio sa paggawa ng̃ ano mang bagay. At sa lahat ng̃ ito'y napagtalacayan niyang magcacapantay ang catutubong isip ng̃ europeo at ng̃ indio.

"Ang unang pinacabúng̃a ng̃ napagtalacayang itó ay ang pagcapagbalac ni Rizal, na cung mapag-unawa sana ng̃ canyang mg̃a cababayan, na cawang̃is ng̃ canyáng pagcaunawa, ang pagcacapantaypantay na iyan, ito'y maguiguing isang paraan upang maipailanglang ang dunong ng̃ mg̃a filipino. Dumatíng siya sa paniniwalang matáas ang pag-iisip sa pag-aaral ng̃ mg̃a tagalog cay sa mg̃a castila (ang iláng mg̃a castilang ng̃ panahóng yao'y canyáng nakilala;) at canyáng sinsasabi ng̃ boong galác ang cadahilana't dumatíng siyá sa ganitong paniniwalâ. Sa ganito'y canyáng sinasabi:—Sa mg̃a colegio sa amin ay isinásaysay na lahát sa wicang castila, catutubong wica ng̃ mg̃a castila, at wicang hindi namin kilalá; cayâ ng̃a't dahil dito'y kinakailang̃an naming magpumilit ng̃ higuit cay sa canilá sa pagpiga ng̃ pag-iísip, upang maunawà at maisaysáy ang isang bágay: at sa pagca't gaya ng̃a ng̃ sinabi co na, na walang nakikitang ipinagcacaibang anó man ng̃ mg̃a castilà at ng̃ mg̃a indio sa mg̃a colegio, at yamang gayo'y matáas ang pag-iísip namin cay sa canilá.—May pagmamasid pa siyáng guinawa, na sa canyá'y nagdagdag ng̃ pag-aalinlang̃an sa dating tagláy na niyá, tungcol sa cataasan ng̃ pag-iísip ng̃ mg̃a castila. Guinawâ niya ang pagmamasíd, tungcol sa inaacála ng̃ mg̃a castilang silá'y may carapatán sa lalong malalakíng paggalang at pagpapacumbaba ng̃ mg̃a indio, sapagca't naniniwála ang mg̃a itóng ang mg̃a mapuputì, dahil lamang sa sila'y maputi, ay pawang ipinang̃anác sa isáng lúpang lalong magalíng cay sa lúpa ng̃ mg̃a indio. Napagtanto ng̃ panahóng iyón ni Rizal, na ang paggalang at pagpapacumbabang iyón ng̃ mg̃a indio sa castila—sa pagca't siyang itinuro ng̃ mg̃a castila sa mg̃a indio—ay hindi lamang dahil sa ipinalálagay na pawang galing sila sa láhing matáas, cung di sa pagca't isang paraan upang maicublí ang tacot at ang malabis na pag-ibig sa sariling catawán. Ang tacot, sa pagca't sa tikís na pag-amís na sa canila'y guinágawâ, ipinalálagay nilang ang mg̃a mapuputî ay pang̃inoon nilá at siyáng sa canila'y nagmamay-ári; at ang malabis na sa canilang sarili'y pag-ibig, palibhasa'y caniláng napagkilala ang caugalian ng̃ mg̃a europeo at napag-unawang dahil sa capalaluang taglay ng̃ mg̃a ito, ay makikinabang sila cung sila'y magpakita ng̃ paimbabáw na pagpapacumbabâ, at gayon ng̃â ang canilang guinágawâ. Caya

ng̃a't hindi kinalulugdan cahi't camunti man ng̃ mg̃a indio ang mg̃a europeo: nang̃agpapacumbaba cung naháharap sa canila, ng̃uni't pinagtatawanán silá cung nang̃átatalicod, linílibac ang caniláng pang̃ung̃usap, at hindi nagpapakita ng̃ cahit munting tandâ ng̃ paimbabáw na sa canila'y paggálang. Dahil sa hindi nataróc ng̃ mg̃a castila ang túnay na caisipán ng̃ mg̃a indio, samantalang napagtantong lubós ng̃ mg̃a indio ang tunay na caisipan ng̃ mg̃a castila, ipinalálagay ni Rizal na mahina ang pag-iísip ng̃ mg̃a mapuputi cay sa canyang mg̃a cababayan..... Nang siya'y panahong bata pa, cailan mang marírinig ó mababasa niya ang pagpapalagay ng̃ mg̃a mapuputi sa canyáng láhi ay napopoot, napúpunô ang canyang púso ng̃ gálit; ng̃ayo'y hindi na nangyayari sa canya itó; sa pagca't cung náriríng̃ig niyá ang gayón ding mg̃a pagpapalagáy, nagcacasiyá na lámang siyá sa pagng̃iti at isinasaalaala niya ang casabiháng francés: "tout comprendre, c'est tout pardonner.[5]"

Ang maílab na mithî ni Rizal na mapaunlacán ang canyáng láhî ang siyáng totoong nacapag-udyóc sa canyá sa pagsusumakit sa pag-aaral hangáng sa canyáng tamuhín ang lubháng maningníng at maraming mg̃a pangulong ganting pálà ng̃ colegio, na sino ma'y waláng nacahiguít.

Dinalá si Rizal ng̃ canyáng casipagan hangáng sa magsanay sa escultura[6] ng̃ waláng nagtutúrò.

Ng̃ panahóng iyó'y gumawâ siyá ng̃ isáng magandáng larawan ng̃ Virgeng María, na ang guinamit niyá'y ang matigás na cahoy na baticulíng at ang ipinag-ukit niya'y isang caraniwang cortaplumas lámang. Nang makita ng̃ canyáng mg̃a maestrong párì ang cahang̃ahang̃ang larawang iyán ay tinanóng nilá siyá cung macagagawâ namán ng̃ isáng larawan ng̃ mahál na púsò ni Jesús; napaoo siyá, at hindî nalaon at canyang niyárì at ibinigáy sa nagpagawâ sa canyá, na totoong kinalugdan ding gaya ng̃ una.

Nang ica 5 ng̃ Diciembre ng̃ taóng 1875 ay kinathà niya at binasa sa isáng malakíng cafiestahan sa Ateneo ang isang tulâ, na pinuri ng̃ lahát, na ang pamagat ay El Embarque (Himno á la flota de Magallanes.)[7]

Nag-aaral siyá ng̃ icalimáng taón ng̃ bachillerato sa Ateneo Municipal ng̃ cathain niyá ang isang tulâ na canyáng pinamagatáng: Por la educación recibe lustre la Pátria.[8]

Ng̃ bahagyà pa lamang tumutuntong siya sa icalabíng anim na taóng gulang ay nagtamó siyá ng̃ títulong Bachiller en Artes.

Nárito ang talaan ng̃ canyáng mg̃a pinag-aralan mulâ ng̃ taóng 1877, at ang mg̃a tinamó niyang calificación:

1871-1872. Aritmética Sobresaliente 1872-1873. Latín unang taón Sobresaliente 1872-1873. Castellano Sobresaliente 1872-1873. Griego Sobresaliente 1873-1874. Latín, unang taón Sobresaliente 1873-1874. Castellano Sobresaliente 1873-1874. Griego Sobresaliente 1873-1874. Geografía Universal Sobresaliente 1874-1875. Latín, tercer curso Sobresaliente 1874-1875. Castellano Sobresaliente 1874-1875. Griego Sobresaliente 1874-1875. Historia ng̃ España at Filipinas Sobresalien1874-1875. Historia Universal Sobresaliente te 1874-1875. Aritmética at Algebra Sobresaliente 1875-1876. Retórica at Poética Sobresaliente 1875-1876. Francés Sobresaliente 1875-1876. Geometría at Trigonometría Sobresaliente 1875-1876. Filosofía, unang taón Sobresaliente 1876-1877. Filosofía, icalawang taón Sobresaliente 1876-1877. Mineralogía at Química Sobresaliente 1876-1877. Física Sobresaliente 1876-1877. Botánica at Zoología Sobresaliente Bachiller en Artes ng̃ 14 ng̃ Marzo ng̃ 1877 Sobresaliente

A compact study...the man and his mission.... 

Jose Rizal was born on June 19th, 1861 in Calamba, Laguna Province, Philippines.

He was exceptionally gifted as a child, learning the alphabet at three years old, and at the age of 16 obtained an arts degree.

In 1878 at the age of 17 he enrolled in medicine at the Santo Tomas University in Manila, but even then he was aware of the unfairness visited on Filipinos, and in protest gave up his studies due to the discrimination exercised by the dominant Dominican tutors. He continued his studies in Madrid, where he sailed to in May 1882.

When he was 23, he obtained his degree of Licentiate in Medicine, and a year later completed his course in Philosophy and Letters with excellent grades.

Whilst in Europe, where he travelled extensively, he excelled himself in swordsmanship and shooting. However it was his accuracy with the pen which would eventually seal his fate.

The wake up call.... 

Throughout his time in Europe the plight of his countrymen were never far from his thoughts.

He was passionate about political and social reform, and his drive to educate his people, and his overwhelming criticism of the status quo employed by Spanish rule, led him to publish several caustic attacks, leading to his most famous work in 1887 Noli Me Tangere, a novel exposing the arrogance and despotism of Spain and her clergy.

To Rizal, the suppression of the history of his native land by the Spanish was tantamount to brain-washing, where everything before Legaspi (the first Spanish governor in 1571) was just an irrelevance to be wiped away with impunity by their colonisers.

This airbrushing of a civilisation which existed long before Magellan set foot, with a people and culture to be proud of, was the worst example to him of tyranny, exploitation and imperialism.

JOSE RIZAL, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan race, was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the seventh child in a family of 11 children (2 boys and 9 girls). Both his parents were educated and belonged to distinguished families. His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, an industrious farmer whom Rizal called “a model of fathers,” came from Biñan, Laguna; while his mother, Teodora Alonzo y Quintos, a highly cultured and accomplished woman whom Rizal called “loving and prudent mother,” was born in Meisic, Sta. Cruz, Manila. At the age of 3, he learned the alphabet from his mother; at 5, while learning to read and write, he already showed inclinations to be an artist. He astounded his family and relatives by his pencil drawings and sketches and by his moldings of clay. At the age 8, he wrote a Tagalog poem, “Sa Aking Mga Kabata,” the theme of which revolves on the love of one’s language. In 1877, at the age of 16, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree with an average of “excellent” from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. In the same year, he enrolled in Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo Tomas, while at the same time took courses leading to the degree of surveyor and expert assessor at the Ateneo. He finished the latter course on March 21, 1877 and passed the Surveyor’s examination on May 21, 1878; but because of his age, 17, he was not granted license to practice the profession until December 30, 1881. In 1878, he enrolled

in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but had to stop in his studies when he felt that the Filipino students were being discriminated upon by their Dominican tutors. On May 3, 1882, he sailed for Spain where he continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid. On June 21, 1884, at the age of 23, he was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine and on June 19,1885, at the age of 24, he finished his course in Philosophy and Letters with a grade of “excellent.” Having traveled extensively in Europe, America and Asia, he mastered 22 languages. These include Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Malayan, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit, Spanish, Tagalog, and other native dialects. A versatile genius, he was an architect, artists, businessman, cartoonist, educator, economist, ethnologist, scientific farmer, historian, inventor, journalist, linguist, musician, mythologist, nationalist, naturalist, novelist, opthalmic surgeon, poet, propagandist, psychologist, scientist, sculptor, sociologist, and theologian. He was an expert swordsman and a good shot. In the hope of securing political and social reforms for his country and at the same time educate his countrymen, Rizal, the greatest apostle of Filipino nationalism, published, while in Europe, several works with highly nationalistic and revolutionary tendencies. In March 1887, his daring book, NOLI ME TANGERE, a satirical novel exposing the arrogance and despotism of the Spanish clergy, was published in Berlin; in 1890 he reprinted in Paris, Morga’s SUCCESSOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS with his annotations to prove that the Filipinos had a civilization worthy to be proud of even long before the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil; on September 18, 1891, EL FILIBUSTERISMO, his second novel and a sequel to the NOLI and more revolutionary and tragic than the latter, was printed in Ghent. Because of his fearless exposures of the injustices committed by the civil and clerical officials, Rizal provoked the animosity of those in power. This led himself, his relatives and countrymen into trouble with the Spanish officials of the country. As a consequence, he and those who had contacts with him, were shadowed; the authorities were not only finding faults but even fabricating charges to pin him down. Thus, he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago from July 6, 1892 to July 15, 1892 on a charge that anti-friar pamphlets were found in the luggage of his sister Lucia who arrive with him from Hong Kong. While a political exile in Dapitan, he engaged in agriculture, fishing and business; he maintained and operated a hospital; he conducted classes- taught his pupils the English and Spanish languages, the arts. The sciences, vocational courses including agriculture, surveying, sculpturing, and painting, as well as the art of self defense; he did some researches and collected specimens; he entered into correspondence with renowned men of letters and sciences abroad; and with the help of his pupils, he constructed water dam and a relief map of Mindanao - both considered remarkable engineering feats. His sincerity and friendliness won for him the trust and confidence of even those assigned to guard him; his good manners and warm personality were found irresistible by women of all races with whom he had personal contacts; his intelligence and humility gained for him the respect and admiration of prominent men of other nations; while his undaunted courage and determination to uplift the welfare of his people were feared by his enemies. When the Philippine Revolution started on August 26, 1896, his enemies lost no time in pressing him down. They were able to enlist witnesses that linked him with the revolt and these were never allowed to be confronted by him. Thus, from November 3, 1986, to the date of his execution, he was again committed to Fort Santiago. In his prison cell, he wrote an untitled poem, now known as “Ultimo Adios” which is considered a masterpiece and a living document expressing not only the hero’s great love of country but also that of all Filipinos. After a mock trial, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association. In the cold morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had been packed with varied activities which proved that the Filipino has capacity to equal if not excel even those who treat him as a slave, was shot at Bagumbayan Field.

Jose Rizal was born, the seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso, on June 19, 1861. His parents belonged to the middle class and lived on the tenant land ownedby the friars in Calamba,Laguna.

In his early childhood, Rizal was under the tutorship of his mother who taught him the three R’s. He mastered the alphabet at the age of three. After two years of tutoring, he could read the Spanish version of the Vulgate bible. When he was eight years old, he wrote a play in Tagalog and this was presented at a Calamba fiesta. Even at an early age, he showed artistic talent in painting and sculpture.

Pepe Rizal’s formal schooling started when, at the age of eleven, he was admitted into the Ateneo Municipal which was then under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits. The curriculum of the five-year secondary course (leading to the degree of Bachiller en Artes or AB), included subjects such as Christian doctrine, Sacred history, Latin, Spanish, Greek, French, English, Algebra, Trigonometry, Geometry, Universal history, Spanish history, Latin literature, rhetoric and poetics, Social ethics, Psychology, Logic and other branches of Philosophy.

Young Rizal tackled his work as a genious would. He captured many honors in literary and artistic contests. He always had an edge over his classmates and he stayed at the top even during the written and oral examinations. His report cards were usually marked sobresaliente (excellent).

Whenever there was an oratorical tilt, Pepe Rizal was there winning medals as usual. He wrote a playlet in Spanish called "Junto al Pasig", which was presented in school.

On the spiritual side of school activities, Rizal was also a high-point man. He was Prefect of the Sodality of Our Lady with Fr. Pablo Pastells, S.J. as the Director.

When Jose Rizal was fifteen years old and a student of Ateneo, he composed a poem entitled “Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo” (In Memory of My Town) which vividly described his childhood years in Calamba.

He was a frail, sickly, and undersized child. His parents gave him a tender loving care. His father built a small nipa cottage for him to play during daytime. An Aya (housemaid) was employed to look after his comfort. He remembered also the daily Angelus Prayer. By nightfall children were gathered at the house to pray the Angelus. The happy moonlit nights at the azotea after reciting the Angelus. Stories he heard from his Aya about fairies, tales of buried treasures, tress blooming with diamonds, and other fabulous stories. Those tales tickled the imagination of Jose Rizal, which developed in him an enduring interest in legends and folklore. Probably, he was truly an emotional poet; a nocturnal walk in the town under the moonlight was also included in his memoirs.

 

 In the midst of a rich agricultural region in Laguna,

the lake province of Luzon, famed for coconuts on the hillsides and sugar cane in the valleys, lies the town of Calamba. Here José Rizal, the apostle of Filipino

freedom, was born on June 19, 1861.

As each member of his unusually affectionate family will appear in this story, it is well to make their acquaintance now. Panciano, the only brother, Saturnina, Narcissa, Olimpia, Lucia, and Maria were all older than he; the younger sisters were Josefa, Trinidad, and Soledad. José drew a family tree showing the dates of birth of the children and grandchildren. His full name was José Protasio Mercado y Alonzo Realonda. (01)

At a glance at the ancestral tree, which Professor Austin Craig (02) has traced for us, showed where Baby José came by all but two of his names. If the usual custom had been followed, the babe, when he became a man would have signed his name José Mercado". The name "Mercado" had been given to José's great-grandfather by their Chinese great-great-grandfather Lam-co in 1731, and again in 1850 the Spanish Governor General Claveria had decreed that "Mercado" should be the family name. His Excellency the Governor General had, indeed, been pleased to grant names, new and old, to a vast number of families. For example, he had added the name "Realonda" to the family of José's mother.

But it happened that José's father was a man of independent thought. To be called "Mercado", which means "market", struck him as inappropriate for a farmer. He might never have thought about it if the Governor General had not called his attention to this incongruity. But now that orders had come saying that he should be named "Mercado", Francisco decided that he should not! He adopted the word "racial", which means "green field", changed the spelling to "Rizal", and

gave his children that name, just for the sake of his independent soul and his sense of fitness. Perhaps, too, José's second name "Protasio" was as near to "protesto" as he thought wise to spell it. Francisco's independent spirit, which his sons and daughters inherited, did not get him into trouble that time, but it did later.

If José Rizal inherited his free soul from his father, he inherited his genius largely from his mother. Doña Teodora Alonzo Realonda had ancestors and uncles by the dozen who had distinguished themselves as leaders and thinkers. Her brothers, Gregorio, Manual, and José Alberto were all unusual men. Her father Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo was a distinguished engineer, who had received the title of "Knight of the Grand Order of Isabel the Catholic". One grandfather was attorney Manuel de Quntos; the other grandfather was Captain Cipriano Alonzo. At least three of her great-grandfathers were captains, and one of these came of the "famous Florentino family." (03)

José's mother Teodora was herself unusually accomplished. She had graduated from the Santa Rosa College for Girls. Very devout, fond of poetry, and an excellent teacher, she was well qualified to give José encouragement in the direction of art and classics. So well did she and Saturnina teach little brother that by the age of three he knew his alphabet. From that point he began to educate himself! In the Tagalog language and Spanish this is possible for a precocious child because every word is spelled phonetically. He took his older sister's story book, compared each syllable with the book of syllables he had propped up in front of him, and slowly pieced out

each word. (04) Within two years he was reading the Spanish family Bible. No other Filipino writer of the Spanish period referred to the Bible as much as Rizal did later in his many writings. Stimulated by his mother's enthusiasm for poetry he began writing verses at a surprisingly early period. Before he was eight years old he had composed a drama, which was performed at a local festival. To the child's delight, the municipal captain rewarded the young author with two pesos.

When only eight years of age, the records agree, he wrote the following poem in Tagalog. It is the only Tagalog poem we now possess that was unquestionably his. The translation here made preserves the meter and rhyme as well as the thought of the original:

SA AKING MGA KABATA

Kapagka ang baya'y sadyang umiibig Sa kanyang salitang kaloob ng langit, Sanglang kalayaan nasa ring masapit Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid.

Pagka't ang salita'y isang kahatulan Sa bayan, sa nayo't mga kaharian, At ang isang tao'y katulad, kabagay Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaan.

Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda, Kaya ang marapat pagyamaning kusa Na tulad sa inang tunay na nagpala.

Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin Sa Ingles, Kastila at salitang anghel, Sapagka't ang Poong maalam tumingin Ang siyang naggawad, nagbigay sa atin.

Ang salita nati'y huwad din sa iba Na may alfabeto at sariling letra,

Na kaya nawala'y dinatnan ng sigwa Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.

Taong 1869-- Rizal

OUR MOTHER TONGUE

Whenever people of a country truly loveThe language which by heav'n they were taught to use,That country also surely liberty pursues.As does the bird which soars to freer space above.

For language is the final judge and refereeUpon the people in the land where it holds sway;In truth our human race resembles in this wayThe other living beings born in liberty.

Whoever knows not how to live his native tongueIs worse than any beast or evil smelling fish.To make our language richer ought to be our wishThe same as any mother loves to feed her young.

Tagalog and the Latin language are the sameAnd English and Castilian and the angels' tongue,And God, whose watchful care o'er all is flung,Has given us His blessing in the speech we claim.

Our mother tongue, like all the highest that we knowHad alphabet and letters of its very own;But these were lost -- by furious waves wereoverthrownLike bancas in the stormy sea, long years ago.

Another charming poem was written by José at the age of nine years, according to Soledad and Trinidad, though Narcisa thinks her son Antonio Lopez-Rizal was the author. Antonio learned to imitate the handwriting of José, which may have led to this uncertainty. (05) The poem is too lovely to be forgotten and reveals poetical genius in the family.

MI PRIMERA INSPIRACIÓN

¿Porqué exhalan a porfíadel cáliz dulces oloreslas embalsamadas floresen este festivo dia?

Y ¿porqué, en la selva amena,se oye dulce melodíaque asemeja la armoníade la arpada filomena?

¿Porqué en la mullida gramalas aves, al son del viento,exhalan meloso acentoy saltan de rama en rama?

Y la fuente cristalina,formando dulce murmullo,del cefiro al suave arrulloentre las flores camina?

Es que hoy celebran tu día¡oh, mi Madre cariñosa!con su perfume la rosay el ave con su armonía.

Y la fuente rumorosa,en este día feliz,con su murmullo te dice¡que vivas siempre gozosa!

Y, de esa fuente al rumor,oye la primera nota,que ahora de mi laud brotaal impulso de mi amor!

MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY

Why do the fragrant flowersExhale their sweet bouquetUpon this festive dayFrom out their chaliced bowers?

And why in sylvan valesAre heard sweet melodiesSo like the harmoniesOf singing nightingales?

And why in grasses deepAre mellow carols heardAs every eager birdFrom stem to stem doth leap?

And where the fountain flows,What lovely murmur sighsLike muffled lullabiesTo every breeze that blows?

Dear Mother, in your praise --Your natal day to greet!The rose exhales her sweet,The birds our forth their lays.

The fountain's gurgling purrThis merry hearted dayIs sputtering to say"Long life and joy to her!"

And now with my guitarI join the fountain singing;O hear this first note wingingTo tell how dear you are.

Rizal has given us this charming description of his childhood home:

"My father," by dint of economy was able to build a stone house, to buy another, and to make a little cottage of nipa in the middle of our garden under the shade of the bananas and other trees. There the rich atis [a sweet fruit] displayed her delicate fruits and dropped her branches as if to save me the labor of reaching up for them; the sweet santol [a native tree and its fruit Sandoricum indicum], the fragrant and mellow tampoy [a species of tree and its fruit: Eugenia jambos], the purple macopa [a species of tree and its fruit: Syzygium malaccense], strove before me for supremacy; beyond them, the plum the casuy [fruit of the cashew tree], rough and delicious, the lovely tamarind, alike pleased the eyes and delighted the palate; yonder, the papaya reached out its broad leaves and enticed the birds and its enormous fruits; on one side the nanca [Jack fruit] and the coffee tree perfumed the air with the aroma of their blossoms; on the other side, the iba [a native fruit], the balimbing [star fruit], the pomegranate, with their abundant foliage and beautiful flowers, enchanted the senses; here and there appeared elegant and majestic palms laden with huge nuts, swaying their lofty foliage and lovely branches, queens of the forest! As the evening closed down, multitudes of birds gathered from all directions, and I, while still a child of not over three years, amused myself with incredible joy by watching them. The yellow kuliawan, the maya in all its varieties, the luklak, the maria capra, the martin, and all varieties of the pitpit formed a pleasing concert and intoned in varied chorus a hymn of farewell to the sun as it disappeared between the mountains and the village. Then the clouds by a caprice of nature formed a thousand figures, which quickly melted away, even as those days so beautiful have disappeared, leaving nothing but pleasant memories. Oh that I might even yet see from the window of our house the lovely panorama at nightfall

which my memories bring back with a sad eagerness." (06)

José was designed by nature to be an artist. This he revealed before he was five years of age, for without any assistance from others he began to draw with his pencil and to mould in wax or clay any object he saw about him. Fortunately, his mother, father, and uncles recognized this unusual talent and gave him every encouragement. They offered the boy an almost ideal environment for the building of genius. Uncle José Alberto had spent eleven years in a Calcutta mission school and now lived in a large artistically furnished house in the nearby village of Biñan. (07) He gave wise direction in the regular studies of the child. Uncle Gregorio was a tireless reader, with a flair for the artistic. Often he lectured the eager child on the foundations of success:

"Work hard and perform every task very carefully; learn to be swift as well as thorough; be independent in thinking, (which Rizal did not need to be told); and make visual pictures of everything." This last was immensely important for an eye-minded boy like Rizal. In learning twenty languages he made visual photographs of words, and never forgot them.

An important factor in José's development was the realization of his relatives that they were dealing with a precocious child, and their determination not to crush his tender genius. His father Francisco, who had received some education in the College of San José, insisted that all the customary subjects must be learned, not only well, but very well. For many months he kept an old man in the family for the purpose of teaching the boy the beginnings of Latin.

"My parents told me to be very careful of my books. They urged me to read and understand them. But they punished me for the least lie." (08)

One incident which he tells of his childhood reveals his inmost soul.

"One night, all the family, except my mother and myself, went to bed early. * * * My mother began to read me the fable of the young moth and the old one. She translated it from Spanish into Tagalog a little at a time.

"My attention increased from the first sentence. I looked toward the light and fixed my gaze on the moths which were circling around it. The story could not have been better timed. My mother repeated the warning of the old moth. She dwelt upon it and directed it to me. I heard her, but it is a curious thing that the light seemed to me each time more beautiful, the flame more attentive. I really envied the fortune of the insects. They

frolicked so joyously in the enchanting splendor that the ones which had fallen and been drowned in the oil did not cause me any dread.

"My mother kept on reading and I listened breathlessly. The fate of the two insects interested me greatly. The flame rolled its golden tongue to one side and a moth, which this movement had singed, fell into the oil, fluttered for a time and then became quiet. That became for me a great event. A curious change came over me which I have always noticed in myself whenever anything has stirred my feelings. The flame and the moth seemed to go farther away, and my mother's voice sounded strange and uncanny. I did not notice when she ended the fable. All my attention was fixed on the fate of the insect. I watched it with my whole soul. It had died a martyr to its illusions. * * *

"It was a long time before I fell asleep. The story revealed to me things until then unknown. Moths no longer were, for me, insignificant insects. Moths talked; they knew how to warn. They advised, just like my mother. The light seemed to me more beautiful, more dazzling, and more attractive. I now knew why the moths circled the flame." (09)

Uncle Manuel, a huge man who loved sports above everything else, took José in hand and taught him athletics. This was fortunate, for the little boy was undersized and frail. With his tedious tendencies he might have fallen victim to the dread tuberculosis that cuts short so many hopeful careers, had not Uncle Manuel torn him from his books and led him out into the joys of vigorous sports. Thus, like Theodore Roosevelt, José was able to build up health and muscle and to form habits of daily exercise that kept him fit through the terrible years which followed. He learned to run, to jump, to fence, and to swim. He loved to ride on his pony, so spirited that few others could handle it, and to take long walks through the forests and along the

streams with his great black dog. Always his eyes were open. Animals, birds, butterflies, insects of every kind, anything with life and beauty, caught his artist's eye. He examined them, drew them, or molded them in clay, and valiantly defended them from all harm. (10)

 Another happy influence in building José's character was the parish priest who lived in the convent just around the corner from the Rizal home. Father Leoncio Lopez was an independent thinker with wide intelligence and sound judgment. (11) He loved children, but above all the eager little boy who asked serious leading questions about the things he had heard his elders say. Years later in Noli Me Tangere, the most famous of his books, Rizal paid a beautiful tribute to Father Leoncio. (12) Perhaps, too, he had this beloved old priest in mind when in El Filibusterismo he makes Father Florentino utter the most famous of all quotations from Rizal's prose writings: "Where are the youth, who will consecrate their rosy hours, their dreams, and their enthusiasm for the welfare of their motherland?..."

When a few years later Rizal recalled those joyous days of his childhood in Calamba, he revealed his heart in this poem: (13)

UN RECUERDO A MI PUEBLO(Kalamba -- La Laguna)

Cuando recuerdo los días,Que vieron mí edad primeraJunto á la verde riberaDe un lago murmurador;Cuando recuerdo el susurroDe Favonio que mi frenteRecreaba dulcementeCon delicioso frescor;

Cuando miro en blanco lirioHenchir con impetus el vientoY el tempestuoso elementoManso en la arena dormir;Cuando aspiro de las floresGrata esencia embriagadorQue exhalan cuando la auroraNos comienza á sonreir;

Recuerdo, recuerdo tristeTu faz, infancia preciosa,Que una madre cariñosa¡Ay! Consiguió embellecer.Recuerdo un pueblo sencillo,Mi contento, dicha y cuna,Junto á la fresca lagunaAsiento de mi querer.

¡Oh! Si mi insegura plantaHolló tus bosques sombríos,Y en las costas de tu ríosHallé grata diversion;Oré en tu rústico temploDe niño, con fe sencillaY tu brisa sin mancillaAlegró mi corazón.

Ví al Creador en la grandeza

De tus selvas seculares;En tu seno los pesaresNunca llegué á conocer;Mientras tu azulado cieloMiré, ni amor ni ternuraMe faltó, que en la NaturaSe cifraba mi placer.

Niñez tierna, pueblo hermoso,Rica fuente de alegrías,De armoniosas melodiasQue ahuyentan el pesar!¡Volved mis horas suaves,Volved, cual vuelven las avesDe las flores al brotar!

Mas¡ ay! Adiós! Vele eternoPor tu paz, dicha y reposo,Genio del bien, que bondosoSus dones da con amor;Por tí mis fervientes votos,Por tí mi constante anheloDe aprender, y¡ plague al cieloConservase tu candor!

IN MEMORY OF MY VILLAGE

When early childhood's happy daysIn memory I see once moreAlong the lovely verdant shoreThat meets a gently murmuring sea;When I recall the whisper softOf zephyrs dancing on my browWith cooling sweetness, even nowNew luscious life is born in me.

When I behold the lily whiteThat sways to do the wind's command,While gently sleeping on the sandThe stormy water rests awhile;

When from the flowers there softly breathesA bouquet ravishingly sweet,Out-poured the newborn dawn to meet,As on us she begins to smile.

With sadness I recall. . . . recallThy face, in precious infancy,Oh mother, friend most dear to me,Who gave to life a wondrous charm.I yet recall a village plain,My joy, my family, my boon,Beside the freshly cool lagoon, --The spot for which my heart beats warm.

Ah, yes! My footsteps insecureIn your dark forests deeply sank;And there by every river's bank I found refreshment and delight;Within that rustic temple prayedWith childhood's simple faith unfeignedWhile cooling breezes, pure unstained,Would send my heart on rapturous flight.

I saw the Maker in the grandeurOf your ancient hoary wood,Ah, never in your refuge couldA mortal by regret be smitten;And while upon your sky of blueI gazed, no love nor tendernessCould fail, for here on nature's dressMy happiness itself was written.

Ah, tender childhood, lovely town,Rich fount of my felicities,Of those harmonious melodiesWhich put to flight all dismal hours,Come back to my heart once more!Come back gentle hours, I yearn!Come back as the birds return,At the budding of the flowers!

Alas, farewell! Eternal vigil I keepFor Thy peace, Thy bliss, and tranquility,O Genius of good, so kind!Give me these gifts, with charity.To thee are my fervent vows, --To Thee I cease not to sighThese to learn, and I call to the skyTo have thy sincerity.

When he was nine years of age José Rizal was sent to a boy's school in Biñan, where lived his uncle José Alberto, after whom he had been named. His teacher was Dr. Justiniano Aquino Cruz, whose first name exactly represented his spirit as a teacher -- justice not seasoned by mercy. He was a convinced practitioner of the ancient method of pounding knowledge not only into the eye and ear but also into the palm of the hand. He used an especially tough switch for this purpose. Had it not been tough it would soon have worn out. José's Boyhood Story preserves his memories of the just Doctor Justiniano. "I used to win in the competitions, for nobody happened to be better than I. Of these successes I made the most.

In spite of the reputation I had of being a good boy, rare were the days when the teacher did not call me up to receive five or six blows on the hand. . . . How it hurt!" After a few months José was instructed to go home, for he had learned all there was to be taught at Biñan. When José reported this to his father, he was soundly scolded and hustled back to the school. There Dr. Cruz told the elder Rizal that the lad's statement was true: he had completed all the work that was offered. Accordingly, José left Biñan at the Christmas vacation (1871).

The boy had learned more of value for his later life in the home of his Uncle José Alberto than in the Biñan school. The two most important things he learned had been household talk for thirteen years. In 1858, three years before José Rizal was born, the Governor of Hongkong, Sir John Bowring, had paid his Uncle Alberto a visit. This remarkable Englishman was one of the great linguists of the century. He had translated into English poems from "practically every one of the languages of Europe." (14) From his pen have come two of our best known English hymns, "In the Cross of Christ I Glory" and "Watchman, Tell us of the Night." The visit of Sir John had been the chief event in the history of Biñan. As José Rizal heard tales of this famous man, he was fired with an ambition to become a great linguist and a great poet.

Sir John told about a book written by an early Spaniard named Morga. That work was much more favorable to the early Filipinos than were those of the Spaniards of the nineteenth century. (15) Rizal was never thereafter satisfied until he had found the book, nearly twenty years later, in the British Museum, and had it reprinted so that all the Filipinos could read it.

The Rizal family now determined that José should continue his education in Manila. He was making

preparations to depart when an injustice occurred which threw the first shadow across his happy young life. His mother was thrown into prison, accused of a crime of which she was so wholly incapable that everybody knew it was a pure fabrication. The charge against her was that she had conspired with her brother, José's uncle Alberto Realonda, to kill his wife, who had separated from him. The real reason for the arrest, as everybody well knew, was that honest, independent Francisco Rizal Mercado had been too frank in dealing with two Spanish officials, and that these men now sought to wreak vengeance on the father of José by imprisoning José's mother.

One of these Spanish officials was a lieutenant. Francisco Rizal had dared to request this officer to remove his squad of civil guards from a field, because the troops were destroying the crops. The lieutenant swore that he would avenge that insult. He did not have long to wait. It happened that a judge visited the Rizal home, as did all important visitors to Calamba. But he imagined that he had not been shown any greater respect than the Filipino visitors, which wounded his dignity. The judge and lieutenant conspired to show this Filipino, Francisco Rizal, how to treat a Spanish official. The police were sent to the Rizal home by the insulted lieutenant. They forced Mrs. Rizal Mercado to walk

nearly fifty kilometers over a rough road to the prison at Sta. Cruz, the capital of Laguna Province. The judge in person saw to it that she was not permitted to ride one step of the way. She was thrown into prison to await trial. The insulted judge acted as her prosecutor as well as her jury. She appealed to the Supreme Court of the Philippines, which ordered her immediate release. The judge then rearrested her for insulting him, declaring that for her to appeal to the Supreme Court was contempt of his court. The Supreme Court agreed that this was true! She had to face trial for one false charge after another -- six charges in all. It began to look as though she might remain in prison for the rest of her life, a misfortune which had befallen many others in those dark days of injustice.

It was with a sad heart that Francisco Rizal finally sent José off to school in Manila. The boy was now eleven years of age. His brother Paciano was studying in the College of San José under its famous teacher Dr. José Burgos, a noble and courageous Filipino priest. Here José came face to face with the second tragedy that shattered his childhood dreams. He found his brother Paciano distracted over a ghastly tragedy that had just taken place. The beloved Dr. Bugos had been executed. The crime of which he had been convicted was that of inciting mutiny.

Some Filipino Catholic priests in Cavite had been thrown out of their churches in order to make place for Spanish friars. Dr. Burgos had openly denounced this injustice which his deposed fellow priests had suffered. It happened that not long after this there was a mutiny of a few soldiers and employees in Cavite. Dr. Burgos was falsely blamed for having stirred up this mutiny. He was court-martialed, together with Fathers Gomez and Zamora, two other innocent Filipino Catholic priests, and convicted. All three were executed by having the inhumanly cruel garrote screwed into the backs of their necks until the vertebrae cracked.

Paciano Rizal had loved and well-neigh worshipped Dr. Burgos, "the most popular professor in the university." What Paciano said in his grief and rage resulted in his being thrown into a pillory and in his not being allowed to take his examinations. All of this had happened just before José reached Manila.

This and his mother's imprisonment were fearful shocks for an idealistic young artist to endure all at one

time, and they burned ineradicably into his soul. "Under the sense of an intolerable wrong. . . . all the rest of his life he seemed a lonely and rather melancholy figure. . . . a feeling grew upon him that the misfortunes of his people were to be the business of his life." (16)

During two years of José's stay in the Ateneo, his mother lay in the Santa Cruz prison. Then she was released for a reason that revealed more plainly than ever how little justice existed in that period. The Governor General (17) happened to be visiting Calamba. Some little girls danced for his entertainment. One of them was so pretty and did her steps so charmingly that the Governor General called her to his side and said:

"What present can I give you, charming little dancer?"

"Oh, please, Governor," she answered, "release my mother from prison."

"Who is this little girl's mother? Set her free!" cried the Governor General.

The pretty girl was José's sister, Soledad. Her mother was at once released and the case dismissed without a trial. A cultured lady, mother of ten children, in prison two and one-half years because her husband had offended some government officials, was now set free on the merits of a dance! (18)

José Rizal bitterly recalled how many times he had seen men lashed by petty officials or soldiers for failing to raise their hats quickly enough. "Almost every day in our town," he wrote in his Boyhood Story, "we saw the Guardia Civil lieutenant caning or injuring some unarmed and inoffensive villager. The only fault would be that while at a distance he had not taken off his hat and made his bow. . . . We saw no restraint put upon brutality. Those whose duty it was to look out for the public peace. . . . were the real outlaws."

______________ 

(01) Rizal's "Bachiller en Artes" degree from Ateneo Municipal de Manila, conferred on him on March 23, 1877, gave the name José Rizal Mercado y Alonzo.(02) Austin Craig, Rizal's Life and Minor Writings. Manila: Philippine Education Co., Inc., 1927. pp. 1-30 [29?].(03) Ibid., pp. 25-28, 43.(04) Ibid., p. 32. (05) Letter of Dr. Leoncio Lopez-Rizal, brother of Antonio, dated October 20, 1934, to the National Library.(06) From the notebook of Rizal in manuscript: P Jacinto (= José Rizal), Memorias de un estudiante de Manila. Written 1878. CLICK HERE(07) Craig op. cit., p. 33, 42, 44.(08) Austin Craig. Rizal's Own Story of His Life. Manila: National Book Store, 1920, p. 50.(09) Ibid., pp. 51-56.(10) Ibid., p. 32, p. 33. (11) Ibid., p. 35.(12) Ibid., p. 36.(13) Written in 1876. Rizal, aged 15 years, was then in the Ateneo.(14) Craig op. cit., p. 43.(15) NOTE: If this is a "more favorable" work, nevertheless, Rizal found many instances of Spanish prejudice and double dealing and was not hesitant to point such out. [RLY] (16) Charles E. Russell and Eugilio B. Rodriguez: The Hero of the Filipinos. New York: Century Company, 1923. p. 39(17) Rafael Izquierdo (April 1871 to January 8, 1873).(18) NOTE: It should be noted that Rizal does not mention this incident in his autobiographical statement, Memorias de un estudante de Manila. Modern scholarly biographies do not include this incident. [RLY] CLICK HERE Rizal credits the efforts of his family's lawyers with his mother's release

The Life of Jose Rizal

      Jose Rizal's life is as colorful as his character. This section details the important points of the young hero's life, from the experiences of a child to the death of a martyr.

 

RIZAL'S CHILDHOOD

José's mother taught him his letters learned at three and his uncles and an aunt interested themselves in his, training until a young man named Monroy who had studied for the priesthood but never taken the final orders, came into the house as José's tutor.

The impression of his first reading lesson, which was the story of the foolish butterfly in Abbé Sabatier's "Children's Friend", was prophetic of a martyr’s fate, for the child envied the insect which had died for the sake of the light. Early the injustices and abuses daily to be seen Kalamba attracted his attention and he wondered if in the land across the lake, which to him then seemed a distant country, the people were happier and the officials less cruel than they were on the shore where his house was.

No small part of his childhood training came from listening to the Spaniards officials and priests, who generally were guests in the Rizal home when they visited Kalamba. The parish priest, Father Leoncio Lopez, also made the boy the companion of his walks, and the confidant of views on the injustices done the Filipino clergy.

On his pony or root with his dog Usman, José explored all the picturesque region which lies about Kalamba, but his first journey from house was at seven when his family visited Antipolo during the festival in honor of the Virgin "of Peace and Safe Travel" which had been brought from America by an early Spanish governor.

Until he went away to school, and then during his holidays at home, entertainments were given the neighbors of Sleight-of-hand tricks and shadow moving pictures. These shadowgraphs were made by paper figures moved by his clever fingers between a lamp and a white curtain. Their novelty and his skill were the subject of village talk that magnified them as it repeated the stories until the boy came to be involved in a sort of mystery. As he became more than a local hero, these tales spread through the archipelago abreast with his growing reputation and were doubtless the foundation for the belief in his miraculous powers which existed the illiterate of his countrymen.

Jose Rizal's Chinese LineageGenealogy and HistoryPublished in Cebu Daily News on 30 December 2002

When I visited the Bahay Chinoy at Intramuros two summers ago, the first thing that caught my eye was a family tree of Jose Rizal.

The interesting thing here was that the family tree traced only the Chinese ancestors of our national hero (obviously, as I was inside a Chinese heritage museum!).

Only a few Filipinos are aware that Jose Rizal's great-great-grandfather was a pure Chinese from the Fujian province of mainland China. (Thanks to Gregorio F. Zaide's biography of Rizal).

As we celebrate today the martyrdom of Jose Rizal, let us also celebrate the story of the people who came before him and contributed to his greatness. After all, what we are now is due also to the heritage which we inherited from our forebears.

In the Rizal family tree found at the Bahay Chinoy, at least four of Jose Rizal's ancestors are described as having Chinese blood in them.

His maternal great-grandmother, Regina Ochoa, is described as a Spanish-Chinese mestiza. His father's side of the family tree is dotted with many people described as either "Chinese" or "mestizo Chinese." His most illustrious Chinese ancestor, Doming Lam-co, was born in China in 1662 and whose original Chinese

name was Cue Yi-lam. This lolo of Rizal had an even more distinguished ancestry in China.

CUA CLAN

Domingo Lam-co belonged to the Cua clan of south China. The surname Cua is considered today as the 44th most common name in China. It is a variant of the family name CAI, which also has variant transliterations that include Tsai, Choi, Choy, Chua, Cue, and Chye. The Cuas are considered today as one of the most prosperous families in South China and in other parts of Asia. The Cuas are a very ancient line, which can be traced to how many generations ago back to times when unified China was still non-existent.

They are the descendants of Shu Du, the 5th son of Zhou Wu Wang, the political genius who started the Chou dynasty. Shu Du was later made the duke of Cai (Shangcai of Henan), and was known as Cai Shu. He was an active member of the royal court and was one of the "Three Guards" during the first years of the Chou dynasty. It was 600 years later when his descendants finally formalized the usage of the surname Cai.

As already stated, the Cuas today continue to enjoy the same status that they did hundreds of years ago. Taiwanese billionaire Tsai Wan-Lin of the Cathay Life Group and Chua To-Hing of Gudang Garam Group of Indonesia are two of the richest Cua descendants today, according to Forbes magazine.

Domingo Lam-co, Rizal's great-great-grandfather, was the 19th generation descendant of the Cai Shu Du. At the age of 35, Lam-co was baptized in June 1697, in the Parian Church of San Gabriel. He took the name Domingo since he was baptized on Sunday. Lam-co then became Domingo Lam-co.

SETTLED IN LAGUNA

In his baptismal record, his parents were simply listed as Siong-co and Jun-nio. He settled in Bi an, Laguna on the Dominican estate called San Isidro Labrador. Domingo married Inez de la Rosa, a girl very much younger than he was. She was the daughter of his friend, Agustin Chinco, a rich Chinese merchant, and Jacinta Rafaela, a Chinese mestiza of Parian.

Domingo's son was Francisco, the first in the line to use Mercado as a surname. The name Mercado, a Spanish word for market, aptly described the livelihood of Domingo's family as they were entrepreneurs. Later, Francisco's grandson and

namesake, Rizal's father, changed the family name to Rizal to suit his farming business, since Rizal is derived from the Spanish ricial, which means green fields.

Despite the persecution that the Chinese and the Chinese mestizos suffered from the Spaniards, the ancestors of Rizal were fearless people who ensured the survival of their family and their livelihood. From this strength of character, no doubt, Rizal got his ability to remain calm and composed even in the face of adversaries.

I decided today that, unlike most people, I would not extol on the virtues and the values of Jose P. Rizal and instead pay tribute to the men and women who came before our national hero. Most of us are already quite familiar with Rizal's greatness anyway.

Besides, like Ambeth Ocampo, I believe that heroes must be presented as human beings and not like gods. When we see that our heroes are just like us, we tend to get more encouraged to emulate them. After all, a hero is just an ordinary person doing extraordinary things in extraordinary times.

DR. JOSE RIZAL’S CHINESE ANCESTRY

Where Rizal got his name

4. Francisco Mercado was one of the seven sons of Capitan Juan. He was the father of Rizal. Francisco was only 12 years old when his father, Capitan Juan, died. Although Capitan Juan was a rich man, he did not have enough land to give his seven sons. It was, therefore, necessary for the sons to look for land to

cultivate for a living. The Mercados were known to be good and industrious farmers. Because of his agricultural ability and industry, Francisco was able to raise a family that was financially comfortable. As a young man, Francisco was an industrious and efficient farmer, an honest and reliable worker so that

the landowners were willing to give him land for cultivation. Craig observed about Francisco:

Francisco, in spite of his youth, became a tenant of his estate, as did some others of his family, for their Biñan holdings were not large enough to give farms to all of Capitan Juan’s sons. The landlord early

recognized the agricultural ability of the Mercados by further allotment, as they could bring more under cultivation. Sometimes, Francisco was able to buy the holdings of others who were discouraged with

their unsuccessful management.

Francisco attended the Latin school in Biñan, where young Rizal would study his Latin. He went also to the College of San Jose in Manila, studying Latin and philosophy. Francisco is described by Palma:

He was 40, of solid shoulders, strong constitution, rather tall than short, of serious and reflective mien, with prominent forehead and large dark eyes. A pure Filipino.

Francisco married Teodora Alonzo, whose father, Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo, was described as “very Chinese in appearance.” He was believed to be a descendant of Lakandula, a Bornean Muslim. Lorenzo’s

mother, Maria Florentina, belonged to the famous Florentina family of Chinese mestizos of Baliuag, Bulacan. Teodora Alonzo belonged to families of prominent Filipino professionals both in private and in

the government.

Those who are unfamiliar with the life history of Dr. Rizal might be wondering why Jose Rizal was Rizal and his father, mother, brother, sisters and relatives were Mercados. The great-great-grandfather of Rizal was Domingo Lam-co. Why is it that Lam-co’s descendants were Mercado, not Lam-co, and Rizal

was Rizal, and not Mercado?

As mentioned earlier, Lam-co, in his baptism, took the name Domingo Lam-co obviously to remember that he was baptized on Sunday, or Domingo. But when his son, Francisco, was baptized, he did not give

him the family name Lam-co. Instead he gave him the name Mercado or Francisco Mercado. Craig, speaking of this change, wrote:

The Lam-co family was not given to the practice of taking the names of their godparents. Mercado recalls both an honest Spanish encomendero of the region, also named Francisco, and a worthy mestizo friar, now remembered for his botanical studies, but it is not likely that these influenced Domingo Lam-

co in choosing the name for his son. He gave his boy a name which, in the careless Castilians of the country, was but a Spanish translation of the Chinese name by which his ancestor had been called. Sangley, Mercado and merchant mean much the same; Francisco, therefore, set out in life with a

surname that would free him from the prejudice that followed those with Chinese names and yet would remind him of his Chinese ancestry.

As regards the change of name from Mercado to Rizal, let us read what Russell and Rodriguez wrote:

. . . the wise old Governor-General Claveria . . . provided a list of Spanish names, apparently copied in alphabetical order from the Madrid directory, and required the head of each family to take one of these,

add it to the rear or front of whatever other names he was carrying, and hand it down to his children. The father of Francisco Mercado met the spirit of the decree but evaded its letter. He chose for his

official name that of Rizal, which was not on the governor’s list but passed muster. It is a corruption of the Spanish word ricial and means a green field or pasture; being here a poetic recognition, maybe, of

the blessed state of Mercado’s own rentals.

But the name Mercado remained the family name for the Mercados. Only Jose Rizal took the name Rizal. Jose Rizal is known only as Jose Rizal, not Jose Mercado. For the difference in the names, Rizal gave

the following explanation to his friend Blumentritt:

When you write to my brother, address him Paciano Mercado . . . After the sad catastrophe (1872), he had to leave the university since he was a liberal and the friars did not like him because of his having

lived with Burgos. At that time, I had to go to Manila to study, and in order not to have difficulties in my studies, I was advised to use our second name, Rizal. For some time, I am the only Rizal because at home

my parents, my sisters, my brother, and my relatives always preferred the old surname Mercado. Our father’s name was in effect Mercado; but in the Philippines there are many Mercados who are not our

relatives. There was an alcalde, a friend of the family, who used our name Rizal. My family, however, did not mind this, because even now I alone use the name. Accordingly, does it not appear as if I were an

illegitimate son?

My father and all my family remain valiantly united permanently loyal to the Filipino party, and my brother is much braver in exile than he was before. My whole family now carries the name Rizal instead

of Mercado because the name Rizal signifies persecution. Good. I want also to stick with them and be worthy of the name of the family. . . .

Although fragmentary and incomplete, the above data about Rizal’s lineage of four generations suggest the following conclusions:

1. Rizal’s ancestors of four generations were predominantly of Chinese blood in both paternal and maternal sides.

2. Considering the achievements and successes of the Mercados, it is safe to say that they were of the intellectual and industrious families. They were all well-to-do leaders, respectable and influential men

among their peers—Chinese, Filipinos, Spaniards and others. From Domingo to Francisco, Rizal’s father, one can see the presence or personality traits necessary for dynamic leadership—honesty, sincerity,

loyalty, intelligence, independence of thinking, deep and sincere conviction, and fearlessness to meet eventualities. All these personality traits were found in Rizal’s personality in high degree.

3. These facts seem to give evidence that Lam-co came to the Philippines, not because of famine in China but because of political troubles. The following quotations from Craig are pertinent to the point:

The Chinese conditions of these early days are worth recalling, for influences strikingly similar to those which affected the life of Jose Rizal in his native land were then at work. There were troubled times in

the ancient “Middle Kingdom,” the earlier name of the corruption of the Malay Tchina (China) by which we know it. The Chinese leader patriots wanted reform, by education, through Heaven-Earth-Men

Brotherhood.

Famine in his native district or plague which followed it may have been the cause of Lam-co’s leaving home, but it was more probably political troubles which transferred to the Philippines that intelligent and industrious stock whose descendants have proved such loyal and creditable sons of their adopted

country.

The possibility that Lam-co came to the Philippines because of political troubles in China poses an interesting speculation. It was indeed prophetic of the political troubles that Rizal had to see since his childhood, violently crushing the Filipinos, and had actually to suffer from his early youth to his death.

4. That Dr. Jose Rizal, the greatest hero of the Filipinos, was the most important Chinese contribution to the Philippines. This statement does not mean that Rizal was not a Filipino. Capitan Juan, let us recall, reconsidered himself and his children Filipinos. Palma considered Francisco Mercado, Rizal’s

father, “a pure Filipino.” From this statement of Palma, one can gather that purity of citizenship or nationality is not a matter of blood or race but one of sentiment and loyalty. It is therefore possible to

have Filipinos of pure Filipino blood who may not be pure Filipino in sentiment and loyalty. When we say that Rizal is the greatest and the most significant Chinese contribution we simply mean that the greatest

Filipino hero had Chinese ancestors, who, although they had Chinese blood from Lam-co to Francisco, were good, industrious, honest and loyal Filipino citizens.

V. The oneness of mankind

History tells us that the attempt to unite peoples by conquest, destroying and enslaving others, had been a failure. We read of this attempt that took place during the times of Darius; the Pharaohs; the Caesars; Alexander the Great; Napoleon and others. During the last 25 or 30 years, we had seen this attempt in two great deadly and destructive world wars. Peoples cannot be blended into one great

family of mankind by spears, swords and shields or by boats, bullets and bombs. Such metals would only lead people to hatred, intrigue, revenge and destruction. We also have read and seen that peoples

cannot be blended into one great family of mankind by the spirit of haughtiness, intolerance, superiority of race, color, culture or religion. This would lead to greater hatred and intolerance.

The lessons in history teach us that the blending of peoples into one great family of mankind could be achieved only through peaceful and friendly contributions to each other in the forms of natural and

human resources—economy, technology, philosophy, religion, government and human beings. But the greater and more significant of the two is the human being—it creates human power and leadership.

This form of contribution is beautifully illustrated by the contributions of different peoples to the Filipinos, especially to Filipino leadership in Dr. Jose Rizal himself. Craig, speaking on this point about

Rizal, wrote:

He was a typical Filipino, for few persons in this land of mixed blood could boast a greater mixture than his. Practically all the ethnic elements, perhaps even the Negrito in the far past, combined in his blood. All his ancestors, except the doubtful strain of the Negrito, had been immigrants to the Philippines—

early Malays, and late Borneans, Chinese of prehistoric times, and the refugees from the Tartar dominion, and Spaniards of old Castile and Valencia—representatives of all the various peoples who

have blended to make the strength of the Philippine race.

The quotation points to the fact that there are many Filipino leaders, past and present, whose blood

came from ancestors who, at the beginning were not Filipinos, but later on, they and their descendants, became true, pure and loyal Filipinos. To be sure, new blood from other peoples are being added to the already mixed Filipino blood out of which Filipino leaders have been produced. However, leadership in

any country or in any people is the dynamic result or function of heredity and environment—social, economic, technological, political. In other words, leadership is the product not only of its ancestry but also of its own effective environment that serves as crucible that refines and crystallizes men or women

for leadership.

In view of all these facts, the Philippines was and is the true melting pot of races and cultures, the epitome of world racial and cultural history and development, a prophecy to the realization of the oneness of mankind, that may lead all the peoples of the earth into one beautiful symphony of life

whose melody is Deus et Humanitas.

Source: The Fookien Times Yearbook, 30th Anniversary

September 1956.

References

1 Craig, Austin, Rizal’s Lineage, Life and Minor Writings (Manila: Philippine Education Co. Inc., 1927).

2 Tion Geng Fheng, “China’s International Cultural Relation,” Fookien Times Yearbook (1953), pp. 144-145.

3 Manuel, E. A., “Chinese Elements in the Tagalog Language,” Filipiniana Publications (Manila: 1948).

4 Wang Teh-Ming, “Historico-Cultural Study of Some Early Chinese Records and their Relations to Pre-Spanish Philippine Culture” (U.P., unpublished M.A. Thesis, 1954).

5 Palma, Rafael, The Pride of the Malay Race (Prentice-Hall Inc., 1949).

6 Russell and Rodriguez, The Hero of the Filipinos (The Century Company, 1928).

7 Epistolario Rizalino, vol. 5 (Manila: Bureau of Printing, 1938).

Domingo Lam-co’s Genealogy

Generation All Surnamed Cua

1st ShanWeng

2nd Nian Chi Zhi Zheng

3rd Yun Cong

4th Zhi Gong

5th Song Lo

6th Szu Gong

7th Wan Ching

8th Zong Xian

9th Men Gong

10th Hong Gong

11th Zhong Guo

12th Ting Zuo

13th Bai Xia

14th He Fu

15th Cai Jing

16th Cong You

17th Zhang Ly

18th Na

19th Lam (Cua-Lam or Domingo Lam-co)

Source: Cua Genealogy, Siongque, China

The above Chinese genealogy shows that Dr. Jose Rizal was a 23rd-generation Cua of Siongque, China.

Jose Rizal’s Lineage

JOSE RIZAL, the martyr-hero of the Philippines, was born in Calamba, on the southwest shore of the picturesque Laguna of Bay in Luzon, June 1861. His father's family began in the Philippines with a Chinaman named Lam Co who came from the Amoy district to Manila possibly because of the political trouble, which followed the conquest of his country, by the Manchu invaders. It was in 1697 that this ancestor whose Christian name was Domingo was baptized in the Parian Church of San Gabriel.

At first a merchant, he finally made up his mind to stay in these Islands, and turned farmer to escape the bitter anti Chinese prejudice which then existed in Manila. Rather late in life he married the daughter of a countryman - who was a dealer in rice and moved into La Laguna province to become a tenant on the Dominican Friars' estate at Biñan.

His son, Francisco Mercado y Chinco, apparently owed his surname to the Chinese custom of looking to the appropriateness of the meaning. Sangley, the name throughout all the Philippines for Chinamen signifies "traveling trader" and in the shop Spanish of the Islands "Mercado" was used for trader. So Lamco evidently intended that his descendants should stop traveling but not cease being traders.

Francisco Mercado was a name held in high honor in La Laguna for it had belonged to a famous sea captain who had been given the encomium of Bay for his services and had there won the regard of those who paid tribute to him by his fairness and interest in their welfare.

Francisco's son was Captain Juan Mercado y Monica and he took advantage of his position to expunge from the municipal records the designation "Chinese matzo" after the names of himself

and family. Thus he saved the higher fees and taxes which Chinese matzos then were compelled to pay.

The Captain died when his youngest son, Francisco Engrail Mercado y Alexandra, was only nine years old. An unmarried sister, Optician, twenty years older than he, looked after the boy and sent him to the Latin school. Some years later the husband of their sister Patron died and they moved to the neighboring hacienda of Kalamba, also belonging to the Dominican order, to help the widow with her farm.

The landlords recognized the industry of the young farmer and kept increasing his hand until he became one of the most prosperous of their tenants. In 1847 his sister Optician died and the following year Francisco married.

His wife, Theodora Alonso y Quintus, was nine years his junior and a woman not only of exceptional ability but also with an education unusual for that time in its modernism and liberality.

She was of Ilocano-Tagalog-Chinese Spanish descent, possibly having even a little Japanese blood, and her family counted lawyers priests government officials and merchants among its members. They boasted of one representative of the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes, and it is said to have been a youthful ambition of Dr. Rizal to fill some day the same position.

A new family name was adopted in 1850 by authority of the royal decree of the preceding year that sought to remedy the confusion resulting from many unrelated Filipinos having the same and a still greater number having no last names at all. The new name, however, was not taken from the government lists but appears to have been selected, as was the old one because of its appropriateness Rizal a shortened form of the Spanish word for "second crop", seemed suited to a family of farmers who were making a second start in a new home.

Francisco Rizal soon found that in spite of his legal authority for it the new name was making confusion in business affairs begun under the old name, so he compromised after a few years, on "Rizal Mercado". His mother-in-law, who lived in the neighborhood, at the same time, adopted the name "Rialonda " and her children followed her example. So it was when José Ptotasio Rizal was baptized, the record showed his parents as Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Realonda, another spelling of Rialonda.

St. Protasio, the child’s patron, very properly was a martyr, and that a Filipino priest baptized and a secular archbishop confirmed him seem also fitting.

JOSE RIZAL, the martyr-hero of the Philippines, was born in Kalamba, on the southwest shore of the picturesque Laguna of Bay in Luzon, June 1861. His father's family began in the Philippines with a Chinaman named Lam Co who came from the Amoy district to Manila possibly because of the political trouble, which followed the conquest of his country, by the Manchu

invaders. It was in 1697 that this ancestor whose Christian name was Domingo was baptized in the Parian Church of San Gabriel.

At first a merchant, he finally made up his mind to stay in these Islands, and turned farmer to escape the bitter anti Chinese prejudice which then existed in Manila. Rather late in life he married the daughter of a countryman - who was a dealer in rice and moved into La Laguna province to become a tenant on the Dominican Friars' estate at Biñan.

His son, Francisco Mercado y Chinco, apparently owed his surname to the Chinese custom of looking to the appropriateness of the meaning. Sangley, the name throughout all the Philippines for Chinamen signifies "traveling trader" and in the shop Spanish of the Islands "Mercado" was used for trader. So Lamco evidently intended that his descendants should stop traveling but not cease being traders.

Francisco Mercado was a name held in high honor in La Laguna for it had belonged to a famous sea captain who had been given the encomium of Bay for his services and had there won the regard of those who paid tribute to him by his fairness and interest in their welfare.

Francisco's son was Captain Juan Mercado y Monica and he took advantage of his position to expunge from the municipal records the designation "Chinese matzo" after the names of himself and family. Thus he saved the higher fees and taxes which Chinese matzos then were compelled to pay.

The Captain died when his youngest son, Francisco Engrail Mercado y Alexandra, was only nine years old. An unmarried sister, Optician, twenty years older than he, looked after the boy and sent him to the Latin school. Some years later the husband of their sister Patron died and they moved to the neighboring hacienda of Kalamba, also belonging to the Dominican order, to help the widow with her farm.

The landlords recognized the industry of the young farmer and kept increasing his hand until he became one of the most

prosperous of their tenants. In 1847 his sister Optician died and the following year Francisco married.

His wife, Theodora Alonso y Quintus, was nine years his junior and a woman not only of exceptional ability but also with an education unusual for that time in its modernism and liberality.

She was of Ilocano-Tagalog-Chinese Spanish descent, possibly having even a little Japanese blood, and her family counted lawyers priests government officials and merchants among its members. They boasted of one representative of the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes, and it is said to have been a youthful ambition of Dr. Rizal to fill some day the same position.

A new family name was adopted in 1850 by authority of the royal decree of the preceding year that sought to remedy the confusion resulting from many unrelated Filipinos having the same and a still greater number having no last names at all. The new name, however, was not taken from the government lists but appears to have been selected, as was the old one because of its appropriateness Rizal a shortened form of the Spanish word for "second crop", seemed suited to a family of farmers who were making a second start in a new home.

Francisco Rizal soon found that in spite of his legal authority for it the new name was making confusion in business affairs begun under the old name, so he compromised after a few years, on "Rizal Mercado". His mother-in-law, who lived in the neighborhood, at the same time, adopted the name "Rialonda " and her children followed her example. So it was when José Ptotasio Rizal was baptized, the record showed his parents as Francisco Rizal Mercado and Teodora Realonda, another spelling of Rialonda.

St. Protasio, the child’s patron, very properly was a martyr, and that a Filipino priest baptized and a secular archbishop confirmed him seem also fitting.Noli Me Tangere is a novel by Filipino polymath José Rizal and first published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany. Early English translations used titles like An Eagle Flight and The Social Cancer, but more recent translations have been published using the original Latin title.

Though written in originally in Spanish, it is more commonly published and read in the Philippines in either English or Filipino. Together with its sequel (El Filibusterismo), the reading of Noli is obligatory for high school students all throughout the archipelago.

Contents[hide]

1 References for the novel 2 Summary 3 Publication history 4 Reaction and legacy 5 Major characters in Noli Me Tangere

o 5.1 Ibarrao 5.2 María Clarao 5.3 Capitán Tiagoo 5.4 Padre Dámasoo 5.5 Elíaso 5.6 Filosofo Tacioo 5.7 Doña Victorina

6 Other characters o 6.1 Non-recurring characters

7 Translation 8 Adaptations 9 References 10 External links

[edit] References for the novelJose Rizal, a Filipino nationalist and medical doctor, conceived the idea of writing a nationalistic novel after reading Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. He preferred that the prospective novel express the way Spanish authorities and aristocrats oppress natives termed as indios under the Spanish rule in the Philippines. He was then a student of medicine in the Universidad Central de Madrid.

In a reunion of Filipinos at the house of his friend Pedro A. Paterno in Madrid on 2 January 1884, Rizal proposed the writing of a novel about the Philippines written by a group of Filipinos. His proposal was unanimously approved by the Filipinos present at the party, among whom were Pedro, Maximino and Antonio Paterno, Graciano López Jaena, Evaristo Aguirre, Eduardo de Lete, Julio Llorente and Valentin Ventura. However, this project did not materialize. The people who agreed to help Rizal with the novel did not write anything. Initially, the novel was planned to cover and describe all phases of Filipino life, but almost everybody wanted to write about women. Rizal even saw his companions spend more time gambling and flirting with Spanish

women. Because of this, he pulled out of the plan of co-writing with others and decided to draft the novel alone.

[edit] SummaryHaving completed his studies in Europe, young Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin came back to the Philippines after a 7-year absence. In his honor, Don Santiago de los Santos, a family friend also known as Captain Tiago, threw a get-together party, which was attended by friars and other prominent figures. One of the guests, former San Diego curate Fray Dámaso Vardolagas belittled and slandered Ibarra. Ibarra brushed off the insults and took no offense; he instead politely excused himself and left the party because of an allegedly important task.

The next day, Ibarra visits María Clara, his betrothed, the beautiful daughter of Captain Tiago and affluent resident of Binondo, Manila. Their long-standing love was clearly manifested in this meeting, and María Clara cannot help but reread the letters her sweetheart had written her before he went to Europe. Before Ibarra left for San Diego, Lieutenant Guevara, a guardia civil, reveals to him the incidents preceding the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra, a rich hacendero of the town.

According to Guevara, Don Rafael was unjustly accused of being a heretic, in addition to being a subservient — an allegation brought forth by Dámaso because of Don Rafael's non-participation in the Sacraments, such as Confession and Mass. Dámaso's animosity against Ibarra's father is aggravated by another incident when Don Rafael helped out on a fight between a tax collector and a child fighting, and the former's death was blamed on him, although it was not deliberate. Suddenly, all of those who thought ill of him surfaced with additional complaints. He was imprisoned, and just when the matter was almost settled, he died of sickness in jail. Still not content with what he had done, Dámaso arranged for Don Rafael's corpse to be dug up from the Catholic church and brought to a Chinese cemetery, because he thought it inappropriate to allow a heretic a Catholic burial ground. Unfortunately, it was raining and because of the bothersome weight of the body, the undertakers decide to throw the corpse into a nearby lake.[1]

Revenge was not in Ibarra's plans; instead he carried through his father's plan of putting up a school, since he believed that education would pave the way to his country's progress (all over the novel the author refers to both Spain and the Philippines as two different countries, which form part of a same nation or family, being Spain the mother and the Philippines the daughter). During the inauguration of the school, Ibarra would have been killed in a sabotage had Elías — a mysterious man who had warned Ibarra earlier of a plot to assassinate him — not saved him. Instead the hired killer met an unfortunate incident and died. The sequence of events proved to be too traumatic for María Clara who got seriously ill but was luckily cured by the medicine Ibarra sent.

After the inauguration, Ibarra hosted a luncheon during which Dámaso, gate-crashing the luncheon, again insulted him. Ibarra ignored the priest's insolence, but when the latter slandered the memory of his dead father, he was no longer able to restrain himself and lunged at Dámaso, prepared to stab him for his impudence. As a consequence, Dámaso excommunicated Ibarra, taking this opportunity to persuade the already-hesitant Tiago to forbid his daughter from

marrying Ibarra. The friar wished María Clara to marry Linares, a Peninsular who had just arrived from Spain.

With the help of the Captain-General, Ibarra's excommunication was nullified and the Archbishop decided to accept him as a member of the Church once again. But, as fate would have it, some incident of which Ibarra had known nothing about was blamed on him, and he is wrongly arrested and imprisoned. The accusation against him was then overruled because during the litigation that followed, nobody could testify that he was indeed involved. Unfortunately, his letter to María Clara somehow got into the hands of the jury and is manipulated such that it then became evidence against him by the parish priest, Fray Salví. With Machiavellian precision, Salví framed Ibarra and ruined his life just so he could stop him from marrying María Clara and making the latter his concubine.

Meanwhile, in Capitan Tiago's residence, a party was being held to announce the upcoming wedding of María Clara and Linares. Ibarra, with the help of Elías, took this opportunity to escape from prison. Before leaving, Ibarra spoke to María Clara and accused her of betraying him, thinking that she gave the letter he wrote her to the jury. María Clara explained that she would never conspire against him, but that she was forced to surrender Ibarra's letter to Father Salvi, in exchange for the letters written by her mother even before she, María Clara, was born. The letters were from her mother, Pía Alba, to Dámaso alluding to their unborn child; and that María Clara was therefore not Captain Tiago's biological daughter, but Dámaso's.

Afterwards, Ibarra and Elías fled by boat. Elías instructed Ibarra to lie down, covering him with grass to conceal his presence. As luck would have it, they were spotted by their enemies. Elías, thinking he could outsmart them, jumped into the water. The guards rained shots on him, all the while not knowing that they were aiming at the wrong man.

María Clara, thinking that Ibarra had been killed in the shooting incident, was greatly overcome with grief. Robbed of hope and severely disillusioned, she asked Dámaso to confine her into a nunnery. Dámaso reluctantly agreed when she threatened to take her own life, demanding, "the nunnery or death!"[2] Unbeknownst to her, Ibarra was still alive and able to escape. It was Elías who had taken the shots.

It was Christmas Eve when Elías woke up in the forest fatally wounded, as it is here where he instructed Ibarra to meet him. Instead, Elías found the altar boy Basilio cradling his already-dead mother, Sisa. The latter lost her mind when she learned that her two sons, Crispín and Basilio, were chased out of the convent by the sacristan mayor on suspicions of stealing sacred objects. (The truth is that, it was the sacristan mayor who stole the objects and only pinned the blame on the two boys. The said sacristan mayor actually killed Crispín while interrogating him on the supposed location of the sacred objects. It was implied that the body was never found and the incident was covered-up by Salví).

Elías helped Basilio bury his mother and while he lay dying, he instructed Basilio to continue dreaming about freedom for his motherland with the words: "I shall die without seeing the dawn break upon my homeland. You, who shall see it, salute it! Do not forget those who have fallen during the night." He died thereafter.

In the epilogue, it was explained that Tiago became addicted to opium and was seen to frequent the opium house in Binondo to satiate his addiction. María Clara became a nun where Salví, who has lusted over her from the beginning of the novel, regularly used her to fulfill his lust. One stormy evening, a beautiful crazy woman was seen at the top of the convent crying and cursing the heavens for the fate it has handed her. While the woman was never identified, it is suggested that the said woman was María Clara.

[edit] Publication historyRizal finished the novel on December 1886. At first, according to one of Rizal's biographers, Rizal feared the novel might not be printed, and that it would remain unread. He was struggling with financial constraints at the time and thought it would be hard to pursue printing the novel. A financial aid came from a friend named Máximo Viola. Rizal at first, however, hesitated but Viola insisted and ended up lending Rizal P300 for 2,000 copies; Noli was eventually printed in Berlin, Germany. The printing was finished earlier than the estimated five months. Viola arrived in Berlin in December 1886, and by March 21, 1887, Rizal had sent a copy of the novel to his friend Blumentritt.[3]

On August 21, 2007, a 480-page then-latest English version of Noli Me Tangere was released to major Australian book stores. The Australian edition of the novel was published by Penguin Books Classics, to represent the publication's "commitment to publish the major literary classics of the world".[4] American writer Harold Augenbraum, who first read the Noli in 1992, translated the novel. A writer well-acquainted with translating other Hispanophone literary works, Augenbraum proposed to translate the novel after being asked for his next assignment in the publishing company. Intrigued by the novel and knowing more about it, Penguin nixed their plan of adapting existing English versions and instead translated it on their own.[4]

[edit] Reaction and legacyNoli Me Tangere was Rizal's first novel. He was 26 years old at the time of its publication. The work was historically significant and was instrumental in the establishing of the Filipino sense of national identity. The book indirectly influenced a revolution although the author actually advocated direct representation to the Spanish government and a larger role for the Philippines within Spain's political affairs.

The novel created so much controversy that only a few days after his arrival, Governor-General Emilio Terrero summoned Rizal to the Malacañang Palace and told him of the charges saying that Noli Me Tangere contained subversive statements. After a discussion, the liberal[citation needed] Governor General was appeased, but mentioned that he was unable to offer resistance against the pressure of the Church to take action against the book. The persecution can be discerned from Rizal's letter to Leitmeritz: "My book made a lot of noise; everywhere, I am asked about it. They wanted to anathematize me ['to excommunicate me'] because of it ... I am considered a German spy, an agent of Bismarck, they say I am a Protestant, a freemason, a sorcerer, a damned soul and evil. It is whispered that I want to draw plans, that I have a foreign passport and that I wander through the streets by night ..."

Rizal depiction of nationality by emphasizing the qualities of Filipinos: devotion of a Filipina and her influence to a man's life, the deep sense of gratitude, and the solid common sense of the Filipinos under the Spanish regime.

This novel and its sequel, El Filibusterismo (nicknamed El Fili), were banned in some parts of the Philippines because of their portrayal of corruption and abuse by the country's Spanish government and clergy. A character which has become a classic in the Philippines is Maria Clara who has become a personification of the ideal Filipina woman, loving and unwavering in her loyalty to her spouse. Another classic character is the priest "Father Dámaso" which reflects the covert fathering of illegitimate children by members of the Spanish clergy. In the story, Father Dámaso impregnates a woman. Copies were smuggled in nevertheless, and when Rizal returned to the Philippines after completing medical studies, he quickly ran afoul of the local government. First exiled to Dapitan, he was later arrested for "inciting rebellion" based largely on his writings. Rizal was executed in Manila on December 30, 1896 at the age of thirty-five.

The book was instrumental in creating a unified Filipino national identity and consciousness, as many natives previously identified with their respective regions. It lampooned, caricatured and exposed various elements in colonial society.

In 1956, the Congress of the Philippines passed the Republic Act 1425 which all levels of Philippine schools to teach the novel as part of their curriculum. Noli Me Tangere is being taught to third year secondary school students, while its sequel El filibusterismo is being taught for fourth year secondary school students. The novels are incorporated to their study and survey of Philippine literature.[5]

[edit] Major characters in Noli Me Tangere

[edit] Ibarra

Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin, commonly referred to the novel as Ibarra or Crisóstomo, is the protagonist in the story. Son of a Filipino businessman, Don Rafael Ibarra, he studied in Europe for seven years.[6] Ibarra is also María Clara's fiancé. Several sources claim that Ibarra is also Rizal's reflection: both studied in Europe and both persons believe in the same ideas. Upon his return, Ibarra requested the local government of San Diego to construct a public school to promote education in the town.[7]

In the sequel of Noli, El filibusterismo, Ibarra returned with different character and name: he called himself as Simoun, the English mestizo.

[edit] María Clara

A crayon sketch of Leonor Rivera–Kipping by Rizal.

María Clara de los Santos y Alba, commonly referred to as María Clara, is Ibarra's fiancée. She was raised by Capitán Tiago, San Diego's cabeza de barangay and is the most beautiful and widely celebrated girl in San Diego.[8] In the later parts of the novel, María Clara's identity was revealed as an illegitimate daughter of Father Dámaso, former parish curate of the town, and Doña Pía Alba, wife of Capitán Tiago.[9] In the end she entered local covenant for nuns Beaterio de Santa Clara. In the epilogue dealing with the fate of the characters, Rizal stated that it is unknown if María Clara is still living within the walls of the covenant or she is already dead.[10]

The character of María Clara was patterned after Leonor Rivera, Rizal's first cousin and childhood sweetheart.[11]

[edit] Capitán Tiago

Don Santiago de los Santos, known by his nickname Tiago and political title Capitán Tiago is a Filipino businessman and the cabeza de barangay or head of barangay of the town of San Diego. He is also the known father of María Clara.[8]

In the novel, it is said that Capitán Tiago is the richest man in the region of Binondo and he possessed real properties in Pampanga and Laguna de Bay. He is also said to be a good Catholic, friend of the Spanish government and was considered as a Spanish by colonialists. Capitán Tiago never attended school, so he became a domestic helper of a Dominican friar who taught him informal education. He married Pía Alba from Santa Cruz.[8]

[edit] Padre Dámaso

Dámaso Verdolagas, or Padre Dámaso is a Franciscan friar and former parish curate of San Diego. He is best known as a notorious character that speaks with harsh words and has been a cruel priest during his stay in the town.[12] He is the real father of María Clara and an enemy of Crisóstomo's father, Rafael Ibarra.[9] Later on, he and María Clara had bitter arguments whether

she marry Alfonso Linares or go to covenant.[13] At the end of the novel, he again re-assigned into a distant town and was found dead one day.[10]

In popular culture, when a priest was said to be like Padre Dámaso, it means that he is a cruel but respectable individual. When one says a child is "anak ni Padre Damaso" (child of Padre Dámaso), it means that the child's father's identity is unknown.

[edit] Elías

Elías is Ibarra's mysterious friend and ally. Elías made his first appearance as a pilot during a picnic of Ibarra and María Clara and her friends.[14] He wants to revolutionize the country and to be freed from Spanish oppression.[15]

The 50th chapter of the novel explores the past of Elías and history of his family. In the past, Ibarra's great-grandfather condemned Elías' grandfather of burning a warehouse which led into misfortune for Elías' family. His father was refused to be married by his mother because his father's past and family lineage was discovered by his mother's family. In the long run, Elías and his twin sister was raised by their maternal grandfather. When they were teenagers, their distant relatives called them hijos de bastardo or illegitimate children. One day, his sister disappeared which led him to search for her. His search led him into different places, and finally, he became a fugitive and subversive.[16]

[edit] Filosofo Tacio

Filosofo Tacio, known by his Filipinized name Pilosopo Tasyo is another major character in the story. Seeking for reforms from the government, he expresses his ideals in paper written in a cryptographic alphabet similar from hieroglyphs and Coptic figures[17] hoping "that the future generations may be able to decipher it" and realized the abuse and oppression done by the conquerors. [18]

His full name is only known as Don Anastacio. The educated inhabitants of San Diego labeled him as Filosofo Tacio (Tacio the Sage) while others called him as Tacio el Loco (Insane Tacio) due to his exceptional talent for reasoning.

[edit] Doña Victorina

Doña Victorina de Espadaña, commonly known as Doña Victorina, is an ambitious Filipino woman who classifies herself as a Spanish and mimics Spanish ladies by putting on heavy make-up.[12] The novel narrates Doña Victorina's younger days: she had lots of admirers but she didn't choose any of them because nobody was a Spaniard. Later on, she met and married Don Tiburcio de Espadaña, an official of the customs bureau who is about ten years her junior.[19] However, their marriage is childless.

Her husband assumes the title of medical doctor even though he never attended medical school; using fake documents and certificates, Tiburcio practices illegal medicine. Tiburcio's usage of the title Dr. consequently makes Victorina assume the title Dra. (doctora, female doctor).[19]

Apparently, she uses the whole name Doña Victorina de los Reyes de de Espadaña, with double de to emphasize her marriage surname.[19] She seems to feel that this awkward titling makes her more "sophisticated."

[edit] Other charactersThere are a number of secondary and minor characters in Noli Me Tangere. Items indicated inside the parenthesis are the standard Filipinization of the Spanish names in the novel.

Padre Hernando de la Sibyla – a Dominican friar. He is described as short and has fair skin. He is instructed by an old priest in his order to watch Crisóstomo Ibarra.

Padre Bernardo Salví – the Franciscan curate of San Diego, secretly harboring lust for María Clara. He is described to be very thin and sickly.

Basilio – Sisa's 10-year-old son. An acolyte tasked to ring the church bells for the Angelus, he faced the dread of losing his younger brother and falling of his mother into insanity. At the end of the novel, Elías wished Basilio to bury him by burning in exchange of chest of gold located on his death ground.

Crispín – Sisa's 7-year-old son. An altar boy, he was unjustly accused of stealing money from the church. After failing to force Crispín to return the money he allegedly stole, Father Salví and the head sacristan killed him.

Narcisa – or Sisa, is the mother of the two sacristans Basilio and Crispín, who went insane after losing them.

El Alférez – chief of the Guardia Civil. Mortal enemy of the priests for power in San Diego and husband of Doña Consolacion.

Doña Consolacíon – wife of the Alférez, nicknamed as la musa de los guardias civiles (The muse of the Civil Guards) or la Alféreza, was a former laundrywoman who passes herself as a Peninsular; best remembered for her abusive treatment of Sisa.

Don Tiburcio de Espadaña – Spanish Quack Doctor who is limp and submissive to his wife, Doña Victorina.

Teniente Guevara - a close friend of Don Rafael Ibarra. He reveals to Crisóstomo how Don Rafael Ibarra's death came about.

Alfonso Linares – A distant nephew of Tiburcio de Espanada, the would-be fiancé of María Clara.

Tía Isabel - Capitán Tiago's cousin, who raised Maria Clara. Gobernador General (Gobernador Heneral) – Unnamed person in the novel, he is the

most powerful official in the Philippines. He has great disdains against the friars and corrupt officials, and sympathizes Ibarra.

Don Filipo Lino – vice mayor of the town of San Diego, leader of the liberals. Padre Manuel Martín - he is the linguistic curate of a nearby town, who says the

sermon during San Diego's fiesta. Don Rafael Ibarra - father of Crisóstomo Ibarra. Though he is the richest man in San

Diego, he is also the most virtuous and generous. Dona Pía Alba - wife of Capitan Tiago and mother of María Clara. She died giving birth

to her. In reality, she was raped by Dámaso so she could bear a child.

[edit] Non-recurring characters

These characters where mentioned in the novel, appeared once, mentioned many times or have no major contribution to the storyline.

Don Pedro Eibarramendia - the great-grandfather of Crisóstomo Ibarra who came from the Basque area of Spain. He started the misfortunes of Elias' family. His descendants abbreviated their surname to Ibarra.

Don Saturnino Ibarra - the son of Don Pedro, father of Don Rafael and grandfather of Crisóstomo Ibarra. He was the one who developed the town of San Diego.

Salomé - Elías' sweetheart. She lives in a little house by the lake, and though Elías would like to marry her, he tells her that it would do her or their children no good to be related to a fugitive like himself. In the original publication of Noli, the chapter that explores the identity of Elías and Salomé was omitted, classifying her as a total non-existing character. This chapter, entitled Elías y Salomé was probably the 25th chapter of the novel. However, recent editions and translations of Noli provides the inclusion of this chapter, either on the appendix or renamed as Chapter X (Ex).

Sinang - Maria Clara's friend. Because Crisóstomo Ibarra offered half of the school he was building to Sinang, he gained Capitan Basilio's support.

Iday, Andeng and Victoria - Maria Clara's other friends. Capitán Basilio - Sinang's father, leader of the conservatives. Pedro – the abusive husband of Sisa who loves cockfighting. Tandáng Pablo – The leader of the tulisanes (bandits), whose family was destroyed

because of the Spaniards. El hombre amarillo (apparently means "yellowish person", named as Taong Madilaw) -

One of Crisostomo Ibarra's would-be assassins. He is not named in the novel, and only described as such.

Lucas - the brother of the taong madilaw. Bruno and Tarsilo – a pair of brothers whose father was killed by the Spaniards. Ñor Juan (Ñol Juan) - appointed as foreman of the school to be built by Ibarra Capitana Tika - Sinang's mother and wife of Capitan Basilio. Albino - a former seminarian who joined the picnic with Ibarra and María Clara. Capitana María Elena - a nationalist woman who defends Ibarra of the memory of his

father. Capitán Tinong and Capitán Valentín - other known people from the town of San

Diego. Sacristán Mayor - The one who governs the altar boys and killed Crispín for his

accusation.

[edit] TranslationNoli Me Tangere has been translated to several languages at the start of the 20th century.

Au Pays des Moines (The Land of the Monks) (1899, French) by Henri Lucas and Ramon Sempau.[20]

Friars and Filipinos (1900, English) by Frank Ernest Gannett.[21]

Huag Acong Salangin Nino Man (Somebody Touch Me Not) (1906, Tagalog) by Dr. Pascual H. Poblete.[22]

The Social Cancer (1912, English) by Charles Derbyshire.[23]

Noli me Tangere: Filippijnsche roman (Noli Me Tangere: Filipino Novel) by Abraham Anthony Fokker.[24]

"Noli Me Tangere" : A Complete English Translation of Noli Me Tangere from the Spanish of Dr. Jose Rizal (1956, English) by Senator Camilo Osías.[25]

The Lost Eden (1961, English) by Leon Ma. Guerrero.[26]

Noli Me Tangere (1997, English) by Maria Soledad Locsin.[27]

Noli Me Tangere (1997, Tagalog) by Virgilio Almario.[28]

Noli Me Tangere (2006, English) by Harold Augenbraum. Published by Penguin Classics.[29]